FEATURE: My Artist of 2020: Arlo Parks

FEATURE:

 

 

My Artist of 2020

Arlo Parks

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I am going to do a few end-of-year features…

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Kurunis for AnOther

before 2020 is done, as it is good to do a round-up and mark a strange-yet-remarkable year for music. Whilst there are polls and publications nominating artists to look out for in 2021 – I will do something like that soon -, I wanted to reflect on the year and represent the artist who, I think, has made the biggest impression. In terms of promise for 2021 and what she has put out in 2020, I feel that Arlo Parks has stood out the most. Her debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams, is out on 29th January…and it will be one of the most-anticipated of next year. On last year’s E.P., Super Sad Generation, Parks produced a truly extraordinary collection of tracks. This is what Vinyl Chapters said:

“On her ravishing debut, Super Sad Generation, Parks weaves a series of lovelorn, stark and mournful narratives around her wistful, beguiling and softly-spoken croon, slippery drum sounds, flu-sick flecks of vinyl static and digitised tweeting, deftly painting pictures with words. Themes of mental illness, economic instability, raging desire and heartbreak illuminate a taut set whose myriad charms and saturnine depths proliferate with repeated exposure.

The lyrics of the title track exemplify the disorderliness and tumult portrayed throughout a record whose currency is that of getting wasted, falling in and out of love and holding out for optimism amidst the enveloping gloom: “When did we get so skinny/Started doing ketamine on weekends/ Getting wasted at the station/Trying to keep our friends from death”.

The morose lope of Sophie and the prettily acoustic Angel’s Song are stand-outs of an album which operates as a canvas for the ominous and unsettling outpourings of a self-described outsider, a loner who started off moulding scratchy spoken-word pieces which morphed into fully-formed nuggets of lo-fi pop. Elliptical traces of Portishead, Denai Moore, Lily Allen and Corinne Bailey Rae hover into view intermittently, but this is very much the work of a fascinating and singular talent. Beset by a wounded insecurity that’s both pained and intoxicating, Arlo Parks has created a brilliantly tense and brooding record in Sweet Sad Generation”.

I am going to bring in a couple of interviews that Park conducted, as she is an artist who has grown and is looking forward to a (let’s hope!) great 2021. I think her album will garner a lot of attention and love and, with singles such as Caroline, and Green Eyes really sticking in the mind, I am really looking forward to hearing Collapsed in Sunbeams! Independent Venue Week takes place in January and, in one of the most important years, Arlo Parks has been named as its Ambassador. Even though artists have not been able to perform live much this year, I have seen a couple of streams where Parks has delivered her songs in a somewhat different setting. She can create chills and incredible reactions whether she is in front of a crowd or almost alone in a room. I know she will be keen to get on the road and perform as soon as it is safe.

Parks recently spoke with Shannon Mahanty of AnOther - she was asked about her lyrical inspirations and what it has been like putting a debut album together during such a challenging year:

“SM: The opening line of the song is about watching a couple fight while waiting for the bus, are you much of a people-watcher? How does the behaviour of strangers inform your music?

AP: I write from a personal perspective, but sometimes seeing something in the street like that will spark something that reminds me of my own experiences. Caroline was the first time I’d written about strangers, generally I’m inspired by the things that have happened to me or the people close to me, but I do watch people; even facial expressions or clothes can be the start of something.

I wrote Caroline during lockdown, in March. I remembered having seen this couple having a fight outside Hammersmith Broadway, near where I live. It was really difficult to know without context whether that was an explosion that might happen monthly or whether that fight was the end for that couple and that’s kind of the point of the song. The ambiguity really interested me. I was listening to a lot of Radiohead – In Rainbows and Hail to the Thief – and The Streets, particularly their first album, Original Pirate Material. That idea of storytelling really came through.

SM: Your lyrics tend to stand out for their emotional frankness. What do you attribute that quality to?

AP: I’ve always been quite a direct person. As kids if we were ever sulking or upset about something, my parents would always say, “What’s happened? Tell us how you feel.” I always found that really helpful; talking something through and vocalising what’s wrong. I’ve found that internalising things just makes them come up in uglier ways further down the line, so it’s definitely something I’ve tried to maintain throughout my life.

SM: How has the pandemic impacted work on your debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams?

AP: The reason why it was so helpful was really being able to sit with my thoughts and really think about what message I want to put forward and what I wanted it to sound like, because I’ve never written an album before. Having that extra time really gave me space to breathe and to experiment as well.

I think Collapsed in Sunbeams is definitely a product of its environment, but I guess I’ll never know whether I would have done this anyway. We kept the same method in terms of getting an Airbnb and writing and recording in there. I approached it very much song by song, I would just wake up and say OK, I’ve been listening to Nick Drake or I’ve been listening to Portishead; let’s do something like that today. I tried to not put pressure on myself. I was very concerned before the pandemic about finding a thread and knowing what the concept was going to be, but having space allowed me to just focus on each song as it came”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Waespi for W Magazine

One of the most evident and touching elements of Arlo Parks’ work is her sense of empathy and warmth. I think a lot of songwriters project from a personal place, but the songs can often by quite detached or they lack a certain sense of understanding of others. Even though Parks (on her website) says that her tender and confessional style of music is inspired by Portishead and Earl Sweatshirt, I think that people in general motivate her work and feed into every note. I want to grab from an interview from The Guardian, where we get some explanation as to why Parks’ music has that warmth; we also learn how Parks processes her thoughts when things get too much:

“She calls this her superpower, even if it does leave her spent. “Sometimes I’m just giving, and giving to people who aren’t always deserving. But I’ve learned to listen and approach people without judgment. I’ve had so many conversations with so many different kinds of people – it’s opened my heart, which is useful when I’m writing songs.”

“This skill was something she adopted from her parents, whom she describes as “extroverted, warm people”. Her father is from Nigeria, while her mother was born in France. Growing up, she says, “we were always encouraged to talk about our feelings. That sense of transparency, that sense of unconditional acceptance, was instilled in me very young. I feel grateful because not everyone has that. There was nothing that was seen as too small or shameful to discuss.”

That openness is manifested in her music. Parks says she always understood her bisexuality to be part of herself. Her song Eugene is about falling in love with a straight best friend, but explores the confusion and jealousy of the situation without shame or self-castigation.

When it does all get too much, meditating and writing a journal help Parks to process things, as does her team, filled “with women and people from different backgrounds, as that’s what makes me feel held”. The journals also remind her why she writes songs. “I found one from when I was 13 and it said: ‘I want to make music because I want to help people’,” she says. “When you approach the world with such vulnerability and openness, people return that energy. It’s draining, but it fills me with a purpose. I wouldn’t trade it for anything”.

I would advise people to order a copy of Collapsed in Sunbeams, as there are some familiar tracks (Black Dog, Eugene, Caroline, Green Eyes) sitting alongside some songs we have not yet heard. After such a bad year, it will be great to have Arlo Parks’ debut album out there! I think her singles, live performances and words have moved so many people, and she is an artist who will dominate 2021. It may seem like things are at their peak when it comes to Parks and the love she will receive but, really, things have…

ONLY just begun.

FEATURE: High from the Rocket’s Tail: Kate Bush and the Wonders of the Trio Bulgarka

FEATURE:

 

 

High from the Rocket’s Tail

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush and the Trio Bulgarka 

Kate Bush and the Wonders of the Trio Bulgarka

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WHEN talking about Kate Bush and her music…

I do not often mention artists and musicians who appear on her songs. If there is a well-known collaboration, then that will come to my attention - there are other voices and players that are not as well known that I have not mentioned. I have written before about the vocals in Kate Bush’s work and how she layered her own voice, delivered accents and used other singers. Up until The Sensual World in 1989, there were not many people outside of Bush’s band/musicians providing backing vocals. Apart from Roy Harper singing backing on Breathing (from Never for Ever) and a few other examples, most of the vocals were handled by Bush. The Red Shoes (1993) is especially full when it comes to other voices, and whilst some do not work and sound out of place, there are some that really stick in the mind. Kate Bush has always been experimental and open-minded when it came to incorporating other sounds and nationalities into her work. Through her career, she has taken us on a musical tour of the world; many people might not even be aware of all the different instruments and tones that are going into the blend! Her brother, Paddy, was pretty key when it came to giving his sister inspiration and new sounds. The Trio Bulgarka are, to me, one of the most important aspects of The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes.

Before exploring some of the songs they appeared on, here is an illustrative article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia that explains who the Trio Bulgarka are – and an interview where Kate Bush mentioned them:

“Trio Bulgarka (also known as 'Three Golden Coins', previously known as 'Bulgarka Folk Trio') is a Bulgarian vocal ensemble, consisting of Stoyanka Boneva, Yanka Rupkina and Eva Georgieva. Their diversity of regional backgrounds - they came from three different Bulgarian regions - enabled them to create a unique sound to their music. They signed to record labels Bulgaria Balkanton and Hannibal in 1987. In 1988 their debut album 'The Forest Is Crying' was released.

Kate Bush apparently heard this album - and its predecessor 'Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares', which the Trio contributed to and which was released in the UK in 1986 - and wanted to use the trio on recordings for her 1989 album The Sensual World. They sang on three tracks: Deeper Understanding, Never Be Mine and Rocket's Tail. In 1993, they also appeared on the songs The Song Of Solomon, Why Should I Love You and You're The One on the album The Red Shoes”.

 “Suddenly, there I was working with these three ladies from a completely different culture. I've never worked with women on such an intense creative level, and it was something strange to feel this very strong female energy in the studio. It was interesting to see the way the men in the studio reacted to this. Instead of just one female, there was a very strong female presence. (Terry Atkinson, The Baffling, Alluring World of Kate Bush, Los Angeles Times, 28 January 1990.)”.

I think the three songs that the Trio Bulgarka appear on are some of the best from The Sensual World. Even though Bush re-recorded Deeper Understanding, and Never Be Mine for 2011’s Director’s Cut, I don’t think that is an indication regarding her feelings about the Trio’s performances. They are sublime and add something incredible to the songs, but I think Bush wanted to strip the songs out and approach them from a different angle. Rocket’s Tail is a song the Trio Bulgarka recorded on The Sensual World that has not been revised. The Sensual World is quite a busy album in terms of the instruments and compositions, but there are not that many backing vocals. I think the weight and power of the Trio Bulgarka on three songs really does not need embellishment. Even though the Trio Bulgarka spoke very little English, there was a clear and easy bond between them and Bush where there was no need for an interpreter. Even though their translation of Bush’s words was not always accurate (sometimes intentional), they held a lot of affection for her. Borimira Nedeva (who worked as a facilitator during The Sensual World) said, of the sessions where the Trio worked with her, that her gentleness was infectious – how they could not help falling in love with her. Bush first heard of the Trio Bulgarka in 1985 during the sessions for Hounds of Love. With the force of Yanka Rupkina (who provides a solo vocal on Deeper Understanding, and Rocket’s Tail), Eva Georgieva, and Stoyanka Boneva getting into Bush’s heart and mind, it was love at first sight (or listen?). There was a bit of influence from Bulgarian music in the West, but there were not a lot of artists tuning into the prowess and beauty of this amazing nation’s music.

When Paddy Bush introduced the music to his sister, she was blown away. The Trio used diaphonic stylings – the lead sings a melody as the others hold a single drone note -, and there is o much new technique and magic in their style and delivery that was foreign to many ears in the West. Bush delayed approaching the Trio Bulgarka as she was not sure whether Bulgarian Folk would fit on a more transitional Pop album and whether they would want to do it. Bush made a call to producer Joe Boyd – who had worked with the Trio in 1986 -, and she found herself traveling to Sofia (the Bulgarian capital) in October 1988. This was quite bold for her, as she had not travelled a huge amount in recent years; Bulgaria was a very different culture and backdrop to what she was used to! She spent a weekend in Sofia, and they all returned to London a week later to work on the three songs from The Sensual World. Bush was looking for inspiration and direction after Hounds of Love, and it was not until 1987 when she had that push (thanks to Graeme Thomson’s Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush for this information). Not to say that the Trio Bulgarka transformed Kate Bush’s music and define The Sensual World, but it was a clear spark that took her music to a different plain.

It is clear that there is a lot of new-found female energy on The Sensual World, and I feel the Trio Bulgarka are a big part of that. I can’t think whether Bush had used any female singers on her albums prior to 1989 – I don’t think so -, so it was clear she was stepping in a new direction. There is pain and loss on The Sensual World, but there is also warmth and sensuality; a lot of the new passion and beauty that radiates from the album is from the Trio Bulgarka. Despite some important and notable sonic changes between Hounds of Love, and The Sensual World, the big role of the Trio Bulgarka is the most obvious and resonant change. Rocket’s Tail is a song that Bush could not rework for Director’s Cut, as it is so much about the Trio Bulgarka and their unique gift. Even though the song is (partly) about one of Bush’s new kittens (after the passing of her beloved Zoodle in 1987), Rocket’s Tail is more about risk-taking and living in the moment. Bush flew to Sofia with Joe Boyd in October 1988 to meet the Trio Bulgarka. It was an eventful few days. One of the biggest problems was translation and adapting Bush’s music. The Trio and Bush spent two days in a small room; she had a beat box and they worked on how to melt their vocals and get the song down.

Not a lot was achieved that weekend but, when they moved to Angel Studios in London, work recommenced. Bush put the Trio around a single microphone and, in these long sessions, things started to come together. There was this great bond between them so, with that trust, Yanka Rupkina improvised an incredible solo (based on a translated suggestion from Bush) and this incredible rocket-like noise and explosion was created. The Trio were not able to communicate in English, so there was a lot of improvisation in the studio. I will move on, but I just want to bring in another article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia where the song is discussed (through interview archives of Bush):

“I wrote this for the trio, really, musically, in that I wanted a song that could really show them off. The other two songs that they appear on were already structured and in a way they had to very much fit around the song's structure to become a part of it, but this song they were there en masse, really, the whole song was based around them. And I wrote it on a synthesizer with a choir sound and just sang along. We put John's on and I had no idea if their voices were going to work on it at all, really, so the whole thing hung on the fact of whether when we went out to Bulgaria, whether it worked or not. And the arranger we worked with out there was such a brilliant man.

 In some ways, I think that the fact that we didn't speak the same language made our communication much easier because he seemed to know exactly what I wanted, and, really, just after a few hours he was coming up with the most incredible tunes, and I just had to say "Oh yes, I like that one", "Er, no, not too keen on that one," "Umm, that's lovely!" and just go away and write it out. It was incredible, I've never worked like that before, so quickly with someone I've never met before. It was really exciting to find that kind of chemistry. (...)

Rocket is one of my cats, and he was the inspiration for the subject matter for the song, because he's dead cute [laughs]. And it's very strange subject matter because the song isn't exactly about Rocket, it's kind of inspired by him and for him, but the song, it's about anything. I guess it's saying there's nothing wrong with being right here at this moment, and just enjoying this moment to its absolute fullest, and if that's it, that's ok, you know. And it's kind of using the idea of a rocket that's so exciting for maybe 3 seconds and then it's gone, you know that's it, but so what, it had 3 seconds of absolutely wonderful... [laughs]  (Roger Scott, BBC Radio 1 (UK), 14 October 1989)

For a couple of friends this song was very phallic. I was so concerned I tried to change the "it was the biggest rocket I could find" line but "the most expensive rocket I've ever seen" wasn't quite the same. It's just the idea a rocket is only there for three seconds but those three seconds are lived fully and totally. ('Love, Trust and Hitler'. Tracks, November 1989)

It was a vehicle to get their voices on a track in as dominant a way as possible. So I put this down with a DX7 choir sound so it had this kind of vocal feel. Then we got a drummer in and got this big Rock 'n' Roll thing going. Then I got some friends in to hear what it would sound like with big block vocals singing behind my voice, and although they were English people that sing completely differently, it still gave me a sense of vocal intensity. So these two friends must have spent all day trying to sing like Bulgarians. But it was so useful, because there were so many things I immediately understood we couldn't do, and lots of things it felt like we could do.

So we took it to Bulgaria and started working with this arranger. I told him what I wanted, and he just went off and said "what about this?" and they were great. He kept giving me all these things to choose from, and we worked so well together. It was so good that we decided to hold the drum kit - it was originally starting much earlier in the song. Then we let Dave Gilmour rip on it, so we'd have this really extreme change from just vocals to this hopefully big Rock 'n' Roll kit, with bass, and guitar solos. (Tony Horkins, 'What Katie Did Next'. International Musician, December 1989)”.

Many have noted how the Trio Bulgarka’s contributions on The Sensual World transform the record and really stand out. There was this connection and trust between them and Bush, and one feels shivers and electricity when they sing.

Although the Trio played a smaller role on The Red Shoes, it was no less an important contribution. Bush has worked with different singers before, but it was rare that she would invite them back for another album – I am referring to those outside her band and singers brought in especially. Although The Red Shoes features Lenny Henry and Prince (on Why Should I Love You?), it is the Trio Bulgarka’a performances (arranged by Dimitar Penev; he arranged them for The Sensual World) on The Song of Solomon, Why Should I Love You?, and You’re the One that, once more, stand out! Maybe they are less at the forefront then before – The Red Shoes is a denser and more layered album - but they definitely make an impact. I think they are best on You’re the One but, provided with less remarkable material than on The Sensual World, they couldn’t soar and high and proudly. I would recommend this great podcast for more story and background to Kate Bush and the Trio Bulgarka forming this wonderful partnership. I have not gone into amazing depth regarding the Trio Bulgarka and Kate Bush and their time together, but I wanted to mention these extraordinary singers who helped turn The Sensual World into a masterpiece. On songs such as Rocket’s Tail, they lit a fuse and took the music…

TO a different world.

FEATURE: Five Years: Remembering David Bowie

FEATURE:

 

 

Five Years

Remembering David Bowie

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2016 was a devastating year where….

we lost some huge musicians, including Prince. David Bowie died on 10th January - and I can’t believe that it has nearly been five years since we lost the genius! Releasing his twenty-fifth and final studio album, Blackstar, two days before he died, we had this strange week where we celebrated one of David Bowie’s very best albums and then, so soon, we had to process his death! It is strange to think that Bowie would have known he would die before he could realise how his album affected people. Very few people knew that Bowie was even ill – he died of liver cancer at the age of sixty-nine. Since his death, there have been special releases and stuff that has come out. One of the most recent, I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74), was released as part of Record Store Day on 29th August. As a very sad anniversary is approaching, BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4 are celebrating his life. This article from Music Week explains more:

“BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4 have announced Bowie Five Years On, a series of programmes to celebrate David Bowie’s life and work on the fifth anniversary of his passing.

Since his death, David Bowie’s sales and streams have continued strongly thanks to a reissues campaign from Warner Music. The 2016 Legacy collection is still in the Top 75 and has sales to date of 578,500, according to the Official Charts Company.

The BBC celebration of his life includes Bowie: Dancing Out In Space, a two-hour show to be simulcast for the first time between BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music, as well a host of other content across the two networks.

Elsewhere across the BBC, the anniversary will see a BBC Radio 2 Sounds Of The 70s special, and a BBC Four night of programming (January 8) with another chance to see some classic Bowie documentaries, including David Bowie: The Last Five Years.

On Sunday, January 10, the fifth anniversary of his death, 6 Music and Radio 4 will air Bowie: Dancing Out In Space (8-10pm). This special show, presented by Stuart Maconie with leading figures from music, dance, literature, philosophy, technology and comedy, will explore the impact of David Bowie on their lives and how he always managed to be ahead of the curve.

Programming across 6 Music throughout the day will mark Bowie’s achievements. David Bowie Star Special airs from 1pm-2pm. Rarely heard since it was made in 1979, in this programme Bowie presents some of his favourite music, which ranges from The Velvet Underground to Elgar and Little Richard to The Mekons.

From January 4-6 on 6 Music, Marc Riley (7-9pm) will be airing again a three-part interview with Geoff MacCormack, Bowie’s lifelong friend, that was originally broadcast on the first anniversary of bowie’s death in 2017.

Radio 4 programming includes Archive on 4: Bowie Verbatim (January 9, 8pm), a repeat of an episode about the story of David Bowie's life and career told in his own words.

 Samantha Moy, head of BBC Radio 6 Music, said: “We miss David Bowie. To think of the music he would have made, the words he would have written, the thoughts and ideas he would have shared with the world – his absence is more keenly felt as each year passes. His influence is woven into the fabric of 6 Music and is kept alive by the curious spirit of our listeners. The broadcast of Dancing Out In Space – a programme celebrating the ultimate trailblazer – with our friends at Radio 4 will be a very special moment and testament to the legacy of an absolute icon.”

Mohit Bakaya, controller, BBC Radio 4, said: “David Bowie was a rare and beautiful beast – an artist whose life and work spoke to people in all walks of life, with an intellectual curiosity and instinctive drive that meant he was always one step ahead of the pack. He’s an artist that many of the Radio 4 audience will have grown up listening to as well as being the defacto patron saint of 6 Music, so I’m delighted that we’re coming together, station to station, with an eclectic mix of thinkers, musicians, writers and critics to discuss the great man’s music and ideas”.

It will be wonderful listening to the programmes and learning more about David Bowie and his brilliant songwriting. So many people across various fields have been impacted by Bowie; not just in terms of his music, but his image, art, personality and the way he thought. Just think about the musical evolutions that occurred so regularly and how he could inhabit different guises…you can trace that to so many artists since who have been moved by Bowie’s almost limitless ability.

I don’t think that everything Bowie touched turned to gold; he did release a few average albums in his lifetime. That said, I am reconnecting with albums that I have not heard in a while – such as 2003’s Reality, and Black Tie White Noise of 1993. I think even many of the lesser-heralded albums have stunning music on them, and there is always debate as to which David Bowie album is the very best. I really love Station to Station, as it came between Young Americans in 1975, and Low in 1977. The 1976-released Station to Station is different to both of those albums; a great trio of albums that explored different genres and subjects. I like the longer and more experimental songs on Station to Station, but I have affection for so many Bowie albums and the way he always remained original, pioneering, unpredictable and thrilling. It is such a shame that he left us long before we were ready. As a musician, Bowie has really inspired me as a music lover and journalist…and I know so many people who owe a debt to him. It will be upsetting looking back on the fifth anniversary of his death, although it is clear that his spirit and legacy will never die. He is one of the greatest artists the world will ever see and, closer to the anniversary, I want to go into more depth regarding various aspects and how he transformed music and popular culture. Listen to the music and magic of David Bowie and experience a human being who is…

STILL so deeply missed.

FEATURE: The Clique Inside: A New Kate Bush Fan Club Community for 2021

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The Clique Inside

 A New Kate Bush Fan Club Community for 2021

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MAYBE I have nodded to this before…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performing Wuthering Heights on Top of the Pops in 1978

when I was discussing the books, HomeGround, and how that is a chronical of the Kate Bush fan club, HomeGround, that ran from 1982 to 2011. They would publish regular fanzines with articles, photos, poems and other bits and pieces from fans and the press. It was a great way to keep updated with everything Kate Bush and, sadly, it ended after all of that time. I guess there is the digital takeover so, in this age, something more traditional is always going to be threatened. We still have music magazines, but I wonder whether they will decline in years to come. You do not really get fanzines and fan clubs anymore; it is another one of those things that seems to have gone with the advent and growth of the Internet. I have speculated before but, as Kate Bush’s fan numbers continues to rise and there is this affection from all corners of the globe, why isn’t there a club or community that can draw us all together? I don’t think restarting the fanzine would be a bad idea because, as always, there is a demand for physical music – I think there is also a desire for the printed word. There is something more personal about a printed fanzine, and I like the fact that you can compile so many interesting things into this magazine or paper. Maybe it would be a bit old-skool, but I think there is this growing demand for Kate Bush and her work and there isn’t really a worldwide fan club.

I don’t know whether any conventions could take place as that used to happen years ago. Bush would occasionally attend, and it was a way for fans to come together and show their appreciation for a heroine. I would say that, since the 1980s and 1990s, the fanbase is broader and more devoted. One does not really get to connect with Kate Bush fans through the Internet. There are so many different tweets and posts daily and, aside from The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever – where fans get together each year to recreate the video for Wuthering Heights (the U.S. version) -, there is not that much community en masse. Maybe there are smaller clubs here and there but, as we have felt disconnected and distant this year, I do think that something akin to the HomeGround fanzine would be great. It is wonderful seeing so much love for Bush and her music. I don’t think that will diminish, so how many would object to a fan club?! I reckon it would be a great way of not only getting fans together around the world on an annual basis, but it would provide a space for fans to share their memories and favourite Kate Bush music. I published a feature recently after MARINA announced a fanzine, MARINAZINE, and it got me thinking about how artists are trying to get closer to fans.

It is really difficult having a bond with fans when everything is digital. This move from MARINA seemed like the start of something bigger. Not to say that Kate Bush herself would spearhead a fanzine or fan club, but I do know how much she means to so many people so, rather than there being all this Internet love she may never see, a return to the older ways would be awesome! Not only could there be a fairly regular fanzine printed and sent – either every month or a few times a year -, but a great new fan club would be something more than retro throwback. It would give fans this community and, more than that, I think it would give people/fans a more physical and human connection with her work. I think 2021 will be a busy year regarding Kate Bush. Maybe not in terms of her releasing music, though many artists will cover her songs and there will be salutes from the media, in addition to a massive wave of affection from social media. This year was pretty eventful, as several magazines focused on Kate Bush – which goes to show that she is as popular now as ever. I would love for there to be this fan club that starts off small and has its own fanzine and, as it brings in more people and big names, it keeps growing and there is this wonderful thing that joins fans together! I shall leave it there, but I have been thinking about how artists are represented now in terms of fandom and how impersonal and disconnected it seems. I suppose that is the way things go with things moving more online, but that does not mean we have to ignore things of the past and rekindle the notion of fanzines and fan clubs. Maybe, as Kate Bush record label is called Fish People, a fan club/fanzine could be called the same/similar; a way to illustrate how there is an ocean of support and love…

 FOR a musicians we all admire so much.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Denise Chaila

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Spotlight

 PHOTO CREDIT: Shane Serrano 

Denise Chaila

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I am going to bring in a few interviews…

because there is a lot to know and respect about Denise Chaila. Although she has just released her debut mixtape, GO Bravely, Chaila has been on the music scene since 2012. Born in Chikankata, Zambia, she moved to Limerick, E.I.R.E. and has made a name for herself there. An incredible rapper and musical talent, her debut E.P., Duel Citizenship, came out in 2019 - and it marked her out as a major name. There is a lot of buzz around her after the release of her debut mixtape and, when you listen to her music, you can feel this rising talent primed for a lot of success and popularity! Her fanbase is growing all the time; I am already a big supporter of what she is putting out. Many might think that E.I.R.E. is not quite as productive and standout when it comes to amazing artists, but there is such a hotbed of quality there. I especially think that the female artists of the country are especially strong and, whilst gender inequality on radio playlists is starting to improve, there is still a way to go. There are some interviews that I want to grab from so, first, we get some introduction from IMAGE (when they spoke with Denise Chaila back in September):

“Born in Zambia, Denise lived there until the age of eight when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her formative years were spent in the same manner as any other Irish teenager, and she disagrees with people who box her into one category. She believes her heritage to be fluid, saying: "I feel as much raised by Zambia as I do by Ireland but when I was trying to find my own voice and seeing who I was as a person, that was happening in Lucan when I was begging my mom to let me go to the GAA discos. It's just funny when I hear people attach me so closely to an idea of Zambianess that I am not going to model perfectly."

This fluidity has influenced her music by what she calls her "healthy disregard for borders" and her healthy scepticism of people who do. A point of frustration for her is the stereotyping of identity which joins in tandem with issues such as race”.

The subject of identity and finding a place in Ireland is a subject that comes up a lot in interviews. It is clear that there are not many Rap/Grime artists like Chaila in the country. I still think there are some in Ireland that have a perception of what ‘Irishness’ is and the way people fit in. That sounds like the country isn’t progressive but, through her career, she has faced some challenges and pushback. Chaila recently appeared on a chat-show in Ireland – which I shall mention soon – and she talked about racism she received following an Other Voices performance ("I felt like it was actually a moment for me to realise I needed to be more responsible about how I navigated my blackness in this country because up until that point and with all of the Black Live s Matter protest, we had been talking... We had been vocal but it took a very long time for white people in this country to see the reality of the trauma and the wound that black Irish people deal with”). Maybe that is a minority who are to blame, but there are some in Ireland who have a narrow mentality and cannot accept anyone who does not fit into their ideals of an ‘Irish artist’ – whether that is white or someone who performs Folk. When she spoke with gal-dem, Chaila discussed Irish identity and home:

“I had this identity crisis cos going to Zambia…it’s like going back to your house and finding out your parents turned your bedroom into an AirBNB. It’s still your house, you still grew up there. But it’s kinda not your room anymore in the same way it used to be – you don’t have sole ownership of it.

Whereas living over here, in Ireland, kinda felt like moving out for the first time and staying with a friend. But you moved into their house, right? And you co-own it and you’re renting it out but you don’t really wanna put your feet up on the table sometimes.

How quickly is the culture of the house gonna change, what can you take ownership of? Can I leave my stuff in the fridge overnight? Am I able to cook in the kitchen by myself or are you going to have a fit if I use this cutlery instead of this cutlery? And at some point you have to lay down the law and be like, “I pay rent here too!”. We came from other houses. This home that we made together, it is only right and normal that we’d carry on some habits from what we learned and how we grew. But if you try to enforce your mother’s law in our kitchen, I’m gonna fight you, because it’s our kitchen – we both need room in the cupboards.

Imagining Ireland put me on the bill – and I’m a grime artist. I don’t make folk music, I’m not talking about Irishness in my bars the same way someone who’s white Irish who has a lineage and a heritage that they can trace in this land has. Grime in Ireland is still quite new, the history and richness of it, however, are not.

A lot of everything that I’m doing and saying completely flies in the face of “traditional Irishness” because I am self-created and I revel and celebrate that in so many ways that depart from what nationalism says you should value yourself as. I start to talk and I open my mouth and just by virtue of being black I’m getting people shook. People don’t want to hear that or question or integrate the idea of “Irishness” – but all of these things that you’re basing your Irishness on seem quite flimsy. Like [people will say to me] “you can’t be Irish cos if you’re Irish then what does Irishness even mean?” – and I’m like, if the definition of Irishness is that fragile it deserves to crumble. If it’s just folk music and whiteness then it’s going to crumble”.

I want to end with a review of her new album, GO Bravely, as it is one of the best releases of this year – and one of the finest debut mixtapes. Denise Chaila recently appeared on The Late Late Show in Ireland; her performance garnered a lot of praise from those who noted how confident and assured she was. She spoke to Hot Press about the experience:

“Stuart: Were you nervous about performing and chatting with Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show?

Denise: I was nervous about the appearance weeks in advance. I’m rarely sick to my stomach about something but I know the importance it has as an institution in Irish TV. I was running through disastrous scenarios in my head, like what if I go there and embarrass myself in front of the nation? There just seems to be so much weight attached to it. I leant into the fact that I’m rarely alone, the guys are always with me. Somebody is there to catch me when my anxiety spikes and pats me on my shoulder and says, “You’re doing great, don’t overthink this, you’re going to overthink this but don’t be mean to yourself.”

For many of us, music plays a very important role in our lives, and it can be hugely powerful and comforting. It is clear that music and communication is vital to Denise Chaila. Music came into her life at a very young age and spoke to her in a very moving way.

In the interview with Hot Press, she was asked when the transformative power of music became apparent to her – she was also asked about lockdown and how she has fared this year:

“I said my first words at seven months, so it was obvious I was going to be a talker. For a long time we said in my family that I was going to be a politician. That’s the frame of reference they had for people who wanted to talk like that. As I got older I was inspired by the film Sister Act and by Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, Missy Eliott and Busta Rhymes. Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid was a really big record for me. I remember babysitting my brother when he was really small and us dancing round the kitchen for an hour to ‘Tightrope’. I heard her music and felt like I shared the references. I know for a fact that she loves Aretha and Stevie Wonder, which is what I grew up with, and that she’s a nerd. I know that she’s really, really politically conscious. She’s all of these things that I feel I am too, and one day I’m going to meet her and we’ll be friends and we’ll work together. I just have to put myself in the position where I can!

As someone who suffers from anxiety, has lockdown been especially difficult for you?

It has for many reasons. When you’re given a lot of space to be alone with your own thoughts, pain becomes very loud. Sometimes you really need someone there to shout down what seems logical to you, but wouldn’t be logical to anyone else who heard you speak. There’s something very profound about the aloneness of it all, which gives way to hopelessness. I’ve had so many moments that I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life, both positively and negatively. Things have happened in such extremities that I’m going to be processing it for a very long time.

What are the negatives?

It’s the combination of the pandemic and really going through and unpacking all of the racism that’s been burdening us. It’s one thing to live under systematic oppression for your whole life and another to do it whilst you’re not allowed access to your community. That’s been a very difficult thing to process and work through, because sometimes someone will send you a death threat that’s very graphic and visceral. “I know where your parents work, it’s not hard to find out where you live” – that kind of tone. You’re just left there to look at your phone in your home and maybe no one’s there and you can’t ask for a hug. Maybe you can only call someone and cry at the same time. My access to my therapeutic processes is gone. I write music, I perform and I work it out with other people. How do I deal with the violence towards me not just as a black person but also as a public figure whose face is known, and who can have very specifically targeted things sent to them? How do you do that knowing that you have a family that you want to protect?

Denise Chaila has achieved so much already, but it is clear that she has big visions for her music - and to use her voice to reach as many people as possible. The subject of ambitions was put to her:

Other than becoming friends with Janelle Monae, what goals have you set yourself?

I want to go as far and as fast as makes sense for me. I want to be an international superstar but in a humble way. I want to be at the stage in my career where I can go back to Victoria Falls and buy that statue of Livingstone and drop it in the water. That’s my main goal. I want to be at the point in my career where I can go to the National Museum in London and get back Zimbabwean artefacts. I want to be at that point in my career where I’m able to sit there with my Emmy and my Grammy and my Oscar and my Tony, but also to give other people opportunities. I want my Mom to be able to go back home and have her family plot and buy the deed.

Is that all?

No. I want security, I want ownership, I want recognition so that I can do more, I want to have music that I can just wake up and make. I want to make sure that my children and my children’s children never have to force themselves to fit into the mould of anyone else’s expectations and can just actualise for the rest of their lives too. It’s a marathon, you know?”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Tara Thomas Photography

I was eager to include Denise Chaila in my Spotlight feature as she is a fantastic artist, but she is also someone who has faced discrimination and had to battle prejudice. I hope that there is improvement regarding racial perception and what constitutes Irishness, as it is alarming to read that Chaila was the recipient of racism and poison earlier in the year! I genuinely think she will make a big change in Ireland regarding attitudes and, as one of the finest rappers in the country, many people are opening their eyes to a sensational talent who deserves a lot of respect and support. GO Bravely is a stunning and revealing mixtape that is such a powerful listen and stays with you long after you have heard it. The Irish Times provided their opinion regarding GO Bravely:

“She’s the artist everyone is talking about, a household name for many off the back of a handful of singles. So how did Denise Chaila get here? More importantly, why has her star ascended so quickly?

It’s true that the Zambian-born, Irish-raised rapper has an eloquence, intelligence and ability to engage when it comes to the big issues troubling the world in 2020: gender, racism, culture, the struggle to find your place in an increasingly chaotic life. It’s also true that she has charisma, presence and vocal dexterity required of a hip-hop star in the making. But why her?

 Chaila’s debut mixtape (ie a more casual compilation of songs designed to set the scene for an album proper) goes some way to answering those questions, augmenting the promise first heard as a guest MC on on Rusangano Family’s Isn’t Dinner Nice back in 2016. That track lambasted domestic violence and gender inequality in a powerful manner; on her 2019 solo EP Duel Citizenship, she challenged the bigoted custodians of Irish culture and savaged misogynists of the hip-hop scene with just two pithy songs”.

I know there are many who will want an album from Denise Chaila next year, as there is so much momentum right now and she is putting out such phenomenal music. Not only is she a natural artist but, as many witnessed when she was on The Late Late Show, she is such a professional when being interviewed and facing a big television audience. She is definitely armed and ready to conquer E.I.R.E. and, after GO Bravely received such praise, there is going to be huge demand from around the world in terms of gigs. When things start to go back to normal, Chaila will hit the road (one hopes) and she will be taking her music to the masses. This year has been a big one for her in spite of everything. I feel that next year will be an even more successful. Make sure you check out her music, get involved with her social media and…

FOLLOW her closely.

____________

Denise Chaila

PHOTO CREDIT: George Voronov 

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/DeniseChaila

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/denisechaila/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/denisechaila

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VjvDoPMZvWItuivXdoe5Y

FEATURE: Four of Us: Looking Ahead to the Get Back: The Beatles Film and Book

FEATURE:

 

 

Four of Us

Looking Ahead to the Get Back: The Beatles Film and Book

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YESTERDAY…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Apple Records/Press

there was a lot of excitement online, as director Peter Jackson shared a trailer for the approaching documentary/film, The Beatles: Get Back. The film was due to come out this year but it has been pushed back to 27th August, 2021. There is an accompanying book that I would urge people to pre-order but, in such a bad year, it is nice to have an extended clip where we get to see The Beatles in the studio! There is this misconception that they were fighting all of the time when the sessions for Let It Be were happening. There were some debates and clashes but, as the film will show, the general mood was upbeat and positive. I think the perception of fighting and warring in the final year or two has followed The Beatles for decades. So many people are looking forward to having the film and book out and, after the delayed release, it will be something we can all love in 2021. I am not sure whether there will be an album tied to the film/documentary and there is going to be recordings of demos and in-studio chatter. Back in June, Udiscovermusic documented what we know so far about the exciting The Beatles: Get Back:

“It was made with the full co-operation of the band

Both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have sung the film’s praises, while John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono Lennon, and George Harrison’s widow, Olivia Harrison, have also offered their full support of the project.

It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall experience

“It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together,” Peter Jackson has said. The footage used in Get Back was originally shot for Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary, Let It Be, which captured intimate moments in the studio while the band rehearsed and recorded the songs for what would be their final album. The footage, now revisited by Jackson in a new light, is the only material of note that documents The Beatles at work in the studio.

It will feature the famous rooftop performance in its entirety

On 30 January 1969, The Beatles played a surprise performance on the roof of their Savile Row studio. Though footage of the live set has been well documented over the years, it has never been shown in its entirety. Jackson’s film will include the entire 42-minute performance”.

The band’s true relationship is revealed

While Lindsay-Hogg’s feature film offered an in-depth look at The Beatles’ sessions, it also revealed some of tense moments in the studio. In many ways, it documents a band on the verge of a break-up. Get Back, in contrast, looks at the footage as a whole, and paints a very different picture of the band’s time together. In a recent interview on The Howard Stern Show, Paul McCartney said, “We’re obviously having fun together. You can see we respect each other and we’re making music together, and it’s a joy to see it unfold.”

Meanwhile, Starr recalled, “There was hours and hours of us just laughing and playing music… There was a lot of joy, and I think Peter will show that. I think this version will be a lot more peace and loving, like we really were.”

 “The reality is very different to the myth,” Jackson himself revealed. “After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama – but none of the discord this project has long been associated with.”

“The film creates a cheerful counter-narrative to the Beatles’ 1970 swan song “Let It Be” film, which essentially documented the group’s breakup and is a rather downbeat experience. The new film feels completely different, with the four members laughing and clowning around in classic moptop fashion,” writes Variety, who were able to view segments of the film”.

A Christmas present has come in the form of this trailer; Paul McCartney has seen the film - and he has said that it showed the boys loved each other! The four of them (five if you include producer George Martin) were putting together music and, whilst there was tension and times when everything could have fallen apart, the vibe and overall sensation is one of love and togetherness. I hope people reassess albums like Let It Be knowing this and, as I said, maybe we will get a new album or re-expanded edition of Let It Be. Over fifty years since The Beatles split up and we are still learning things about…

THE Liverpool legends!

FEATURE: Vinyl Corner: Beyoncé - B'Day

FEATURE:

 

 

Vinyl Corner

Beyoncé - B'Day

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THIS is one of these recommendations…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Evan Agostini

where one might have to pay a little more than expected for the vinyl copy. I am focusing on Beyoncé’s 2006 album, B’Day - which I would urge one to buy on vinyl -, as it is a fantastic album. I have featured the albums of Beyoncé a bit on the site (I focused on 4 for Second Spin earlier in the year). B’Day is Beyoncé’s second solo album, and it followed the stunning Dangerously in Love (2003). I think B’Day is an underrated album that contains some of Beyoncé’s best tracks. In 2002, she had productive studio sessions while making her debut album where she recorded up to forty-five songs. After the release of Dangerously in Love in 2003, Beyoncé had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the leftover tracks. In 2004, Columbia Records announced that Beyoncé had put her plans on hold in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny Fulfilled, the final studio album by Destiny's Child. Beyoncé also landed the lead role in Dreamgirls. Wanting to focus on one thing at a time, where was this three-year gap between albums, but I think that acting role and finishing with Destiny’s Child gave her new impetus and inspiration for her second studio album. Dangerously in Love showed that Beyoncé could stand as a solo artist and successfully transition from Destiny’s Child. After the big reviews for her debut, there was a bit of pressure to equal the weight of that album on B’Day.

=

With songs like Déjà Vu (ft. JAY-Z), Ring the Alarm, and Green Light, Beyoncé was delivering these incredible confident songs that could appeal to fans of her Destiny’s Child work and everyone else! B’Day is such a varied and interesting album that anyone can pick it up and get something from it. There are a couple of more delicate moments on the album, but the emphasis on B’Day seems to be energy and independence. I think Beyoncé would explore more emotional depth on later albums, but that was something that split critics; some feeling her ballads were her weakest point, whilst others welcomed a bit more maturity and growth. I think Beyoncé really hit a new high on B’Day; it is an album that turned her from this R&B star into a worldwide megastar who was ruling the world! There are some mixed reviews for the album but, before I bring in a couple of more positive ones, it is worth noting that B’Day debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200 - selling over 541,000 copies in its first week of sales; scoring the second-highest debut-week sales for Beyoncé. It is clear that her role in Dreamgirls inspired songs about feminism and empowerment, and there is also a great array of different genres and styles utilised throughout B’Day – from Funk and Hip-Hop to Soul and R&B. I do really like the blend of sounds and how everything mixes together really well. B’Day has one or two songs that are not to the high standard of the rest, but that never detracts from the quality and consistency of the album.

I want to highlight a couple of reviews to show how critics perceive the album. There was some mixed reaction, where some felt that Beyoncé was not hitting her true heights or the songs were not as classic and instant as what we heard with Destiny’s Child. I think B’Day is a great album that is among her very finest work. Arguably, she found her true voice on later albums such as Beyoncé (2013), and Lemonade (2016) - but B’Day is a solid and appealing album that should be picked up on vinyl. In their review, this is what AllMusic had to say:

“While Beyoncé does sound like she's in a bit of a hurry throughout the album, and there are no songs with the smooth elegance of "Me, Myself and I" or "Be with You," it is lean in a beneficial way, propelled by just as many highlights as the overlong Dangerously in Love. Two collaborations with Rich Harrison swagger and preen: "Been locked up in the house way too long/It's time to get it, 'cause once again he's out doing wrong" (the blaring/marching "Freakum Dress"); "Don't give me no lip, let mama do it all" (the spectacularly layered "Suga Mama"). The Neptunes assist on "Green Light," an ambitious, fleet-footed number that continually switches tempos and sounds, as well as "Kitty Kat," a deceptively sweet, rainbow-colored track -- where what sounds like purrs are more like claws-out dismissals -- that could've been pulled from one of the first three Kelis albums.

And even with an entirely bonkers line like "I can do for you what Martin did for the people," "Upgrade U" is the most potent track on the album, a low-slung Cameron Wallace production where Beyoncé wears and buys the pants while making her proposition sound more like empowerment than emasculation. If the circus surrounding this whole thing -- which could take up to ten pages to document -- was an elaborate ploy to transform Beyoncé into an underdog, there really is some kind of genius at play, but it's extremely unlikely that anyone in her camp could've predicted that the expectations and reactions would be less rational than any of Beyoncé's decisions and actions. There is nothing desperate or weak about this album”.

Although Pitchfork were more mixed in their reaction to B’Day, they did highlight one particular song for recommendation:

“Ironically perhaps, this switch delivers its biggest pay-off, and B'Day's best song, with the ballad-of-sorts "Irreplaceable". It's as if, having lost the Midas touch of gleaming pop perfection, Beyoncé has opened up the possibility of stumbling on brilliance by accident. "You must not know 'bout me/ I can have another you in a minute/ Matter-fact he'll be here in a minute," she boasts to a swiftly exiting lover, in a hopelessly unconvincing attempt at callous indifference. Before, Beyoncé's approach to heartbreak was always literal, her voice and her words declaiming her feelings with a studied earnestness that at times was difficult to believe, let alone connect with. "Irreplaceable" is the first song in which Beyoncé lies to herself, and the way her voice perfectly betrays that lie (revealing a giveaway tremble in the stiff upper lip of the lyrics) simultaneously renders it her most sophisticated and her most honest performance to date”.

I think B’Day is an album that has been under-appreciated, with many feelings there were too many weak moments. I think it is a hugely important step and transition from Beyoncé. She was still exploring her true potential as a solo artist, but there are fantastic glimpses of who she would become a few years later. 2006’s B’Day has more than its fair share of highlights, and it is…

WELL worth some time and attention.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Frank Zappa’s Best

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Jerry Schatzberg/Corbis

Frank Zappa’s Best

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AS the late Frank Zappa was born on…

21st December, 1940, today would have been his eightieth birthday. Zappa died in 1993, and his remarkable work was characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, and sonic experimentation. In a career spanning more than thirty  years, Zappa composed so many different genres together and he produced almost all of the sixty-plus albums that he released with his band, The Mothers of Invention, and as a solo artist - and he inspired the likes of Jeff Buckley, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, and The Beatles. I am not going to try and collect together all the best songs from his albums but, as it is his eightieth birthday, I feel a selection of some of his best songs is fitting. Here is a collection of great cuts from one of music’s…

REAL innovators.

FEATURE: The Beauty of the Dawn Chorus: How Birdsong Can Be Transformative – and Why More Modern Artists Need to Use It in Their Work

FEATURE:

 

 

The Beauty of the Dawn Chorus

IMAGE CREDIT: @bostonpubliclibrary/Unsplash 

How Birdsong Can Be Transformative – and Why More Modern Artists Need to Use It in Their Work

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NOT to lean on The Guardian too much…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Musician Cosmo Sheldrake/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Flude/The Guardian

but I was inspired by an article they published where they met musician Cosmo Sheldrake - he is on a mission to highlight the loss of U.K. birdlife with an album of avian song. It got me thinking about popular songs that incorporate some form of birdsong and how impactful it is. It seems idyllic recording birds and their unique sounds for an album:

“His studio-cum-field-station is a metre from a bird feeder. Inside the studio is a bed, an armchair and a scruffy collection of boxes. He puts the sound recordings into his computer and slows down individual calls. It’s like intercepting morse code, revealing delicate cadences you don’t hear when the songs are rattled out at speed. The blackbird is a guttural, gritty character, while the robin’s voice has bell-like purity.

“Birds live on a different time axis,” says 30-year-old Sheldrake. “There’s a spectrum of relationships with time – we look at birds and think they’re very ‘other’, but when you slow their song down, you get an idea of the tapestry of what they’re saying and they sound strangely human. These are very subtle, integrated phrases that we miss when they’re singing at their normal speed.”

And so these little characters and conversations have been pieced together in an album that follows the natural acoustics of the day; it starts with a nightjar, which sings just after dusk and through the night, then goes to a nightingale, and then the dawn chorus, before working its way through the day. A chord can be composed of five or six different aspects of a song played simultaneously. Tracks are based on sounds that already exist and have their own identity and character. “It’s a collaboration,” says Sheldrake, “except without explicit consent from the birds.”

Part of his aim is to highlight how we may not be conscious of the loss of wildlife from our lives. Many of the birds featured on his album, such as marsh warbler, mistle thrush and dunnock, are no longer a ubiquitous part of our soundscapes. The star performers from today’s chorus – blackbirds and robins – didn’t make it on to Sheldrake’s album because they are not (yet) on the red or amber list of endangered British birds”.

It is clear that nature is good for our health, and birdsong can be transformative for our mental and physical wellbeing. Maybe there are more songs that I realise, but I can only think of a few tracks that feature the calls and conversation of birds. I am including one from The Beatles and another from Kate Bush - both are examples of where you get this very moving and immersive sound that heightens the music around it. At a time when we can go outside but not get too close to one another, it seems that nature and the outdoors is a better option. Not only is there the visual delights of the changing season, but there is also the audible benefits. I think the hum of nature in general is great, but there is something about birdsong that is both relaxing and informative. I am not suggesting that everyone in music starts putting the sounds of birds in their songs, but it does seem to be an untapped area that Cosmo Sheldrakei has highlighted. I do feel that, like instruments, birdsong adds so much texture and language to a song…so I feel that artists are leaving a nutritious source of inspiration cold. There have been Classic pieces inspired by birdsong (and pieces that use birdsong), but I wonder whether there will be any popular tracks or non-Classic cuts that have nature and birdsong either at the forefront or at the background. Maybe some associate that kind of sound with Ambient music or they feel that birdsong is too distracting and it would be hard to combine it with other instruments or feed it into a conventional song. Not only could artists help highlight the danger many bird species face, but there are such calming properties to the sound of birds. From the few songs where one can appreciate birds in unison or solo, the effect is…

UTTERLY sublime.

FEATURE: Death by Sound: Kate Bush’s Experiment IV

FEATURE:

 

 

Death by Sound

Kate Bush’s Experiment IV

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THERE are few songs in the Kate Bush cannon…

that I have neglected to cover but, for this feature, I want to explore Experiment IV. Many people might not be aware of the song as it did not appear on a studio album. I am always fascinated by artists who release a greatest hits album and put a new song on. There is an argument that there’s a danger of missing out on a classic in favour of something new, but many artists have the odd song left over that they want to include. That is not to say that the songs are throwaway; I think it is fine having a packed greatest hits album with one new song. Kate Bush’s The Whole Story turns thirty-five next year (on 10th November). Released a year after Hounds of Love, there was this feeling from EMI that Bush has gained a whole new audience – including a lot of attention from the U.S. – and it was the right time to put out a greatest hits. After five studio albums, one gets a nice spread of tracks. It is singles that we get in The Whole Story so, at twelve tracks, one does not get too many deeper cuts. There is subjectiveness as to what constitutes the best songs of artists, but there is a lot of variation and quality on the album. Experiment IV appears near the end between Sat in Your Lap, and The Dreaming (both from The Dreaming). I am not sure whether

Bush intended Experiment IV to appear on Hounds of Love but, as it is similar in places to Mother Stands for Comfort, perhaps it was kept aside for that reason. The single was released on 27th October, 1986 and it was a great launch of The Whole Story. With this new song in the world, fans had this treat and could look forward to an album that, unsurprisingly, sold really well – The Whole Story reached number-one on the U.K. album charts and has sold well over one-million copies to date. Experiment IV was also included on The Other Sides last year. The track concerns a secret military plan to create a sound that is horrifying enough to kill people. It is a typically unique perspective and story from Kate Bush, and I really love the star-packed video – which I shall get to soon. Experiment IV peaked at twenty-three in the singles chart in the U.K., simultaneously with Don't Give Up (Bush's duet with Peter Gabriel, which reached number-nine). I recently talked about Bush’s amazing duet with Peter Gabriel, and I love the fact that Bush was involved with two successful songs not included on any of her studio albums. After the huge success of Hounds of Love in 1985, I am not surprised that The Whole Story performed so well. It would be a further three years before Bush released The Sensual World, but I really love her greatest hits album and the fact there was this exciting new song.

Last year, Kate Bush herself gave her recollections of Experiment IV:

“This was written as an extra track for the compilation album The Whole Story and was released as the single. I was excited at the opportunity of directing the video and not having to appear in it other than in a minor role, especially as this song told a story that could be challenging to tell visually. I chose to film it in a very handsome old military hospital that was derelict at the time. It was a huge, labyrinthine hospital with incredibly long corridors, which was one reason for choosing it. Florence Nightingale had been involved in the design of the hospital. Not something she is well known for but she actually had a huge impact on hospital design that was pioneering and changed the way hospitals were designed from then on.

The video was an intense project and not a comfortable shoot, as you can imagine - a giant of a building, damp and full of shadows with no lighting or heating but it was like a dream to work with such a talented crew and cast with Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, Peter Vaughn and Richard Vernon in the starring roles. It was a strange and eerie feeling bringing parts of the hospital to life again. Not long after our work there it was converted into luxury apartments. I can imagine that some of those glamorous rooms have uninvited soldiers and nurses dropping by for a cup of tea and a Hobnob.

We had to create a recording studio for the video, so tape machines and outboard gear were recruited from my recording studio and the mixing console was very kindly lent to us by Abbey Road Studios. It was the desk the Beatles had used - me too, when we’d made the album Never For Ever in Studio Two. It was such a characterful desk that would’ve looked right at home in any vintage aircraft. Although it was a tough shoot it was a lot of fun and everyone worked so hard for such long hours. I was really pleased with the result. (KateBush.com, February 2019)”.

On the B-side of Experiment IV (the U.K. single) is Wuthering Heights with a new vocal. Although I much prefer the original Wuthering Heights, I think that it is cool that we got these two new recordings. Although there are one or two quite intense songs on The Sensual World, and The Red Shoes, I think Experiment IV is one of her last songs that has the same sort of experimental and eerier quality of tracks on The Dreaming, and Hounds of Love.

Maybe Experiment IV was the last throw of that dice, or it was a bridge between where Bush was and where she was heading. I want to finish off by sourcing from an article on the Behind the Couch website (from 2013), where we get some more detail about its video:

“Throughout the song the listener is fed snippets of exactly what has gone into creating this devastating sound – From the painful cries of mothers, To the terrifying scream... We recorded it and put it into our machine. The dark subject matter of both the lyrics and the video - sinister music that can harm and kill the listener, coupled with the strange technology the scientists use to create it (most hauntingly of all it’s never revealed why) - calls to mind the work of British sci-fi/horror writer Nigel Kneale, who frequently blended science and supernaturalism with anti-authoritarian undertones. In works such as Halloween III and The Woman in Black – and indeed John Carpenter’s homage to the work of Neale, Prince of Darkness – technology is presented as a quasi-magical force with severely sinister connotations.

Dawn French and Hugh Laurie provide a little comic relief as two scientists ensconced in the dubious research, and the reluctant Professor overseeing the research is named Jerry Coe; perhaps a reference to Jericho, the walls of which crumbled at the sound of the Israelites’ trumpets at the end of a war, as described in the biblical book of Joshua.

The horrific effects of the scientists’ research is featured throughout the video, as various test-subjects are shown writhing around in straitjackets after hearing the sound. Finally, when the sound is 'unveiled', it appears as a spectral siren which suddenly takes on the form of a terrifying winged ghoul, which then proceeds to wreck havoc in the lab, slaughtering the scientists and test-subjects alike. The camera then assumes the role of the creature and pursues various scientists along the starkly lit and increasingly chaotic corridors of the facility, eventually tracking outside to reveal the rather apocalyptic aftermath of the incident – pre-empting ‘contagion horrors’ such as 28 Days Later etc. A cordoned-off vicinity around a music shop (revealed to be a front for the shady government project) – in which the shopkeeper is displaying copies of Experiment IV – is strewn with the bodies of the dead. Lastly, we see Ms Bush hitch-hiking on a nearby stretch of road and clambering into a van, but before she does, she turns to wink at us knowingly, suggesting this is only the beginning of her deadly mission… It could sing you to sleep, But that dream is your enemy! Incidentally, the sound of the helicopter heard at the end of the song as the military make a hasty retreat, is the very same helicopter sound heard in Pink Floyd's The Happiest Days of Our Lives from The Wall. Dave Gilmour and Kate are good friends”.

I will write some more features about The Whole Story as it gets nearer to its thirty-fifth anniversary, but I was keen to dig deep into a song that many people might not be aware of. I think Experiment IV is one of Kate Bush most-underrated songs…its video is startling, scary and amazing. It shows that there are truly…

NO limits to Kate Bush’s talent.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: A Ma Rainey-Inspired Blues-Fest

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: Ma Rainey 

 A Ma Rainey-Inspired Blues-Fest

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ALTHOUGH the tone is not too Christmas-like….

 IN THIS PHOTO: A promotional image from the play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

I wanted to put out a Lockdown Playlist inspired by Ma Rainey. She is the subject of a new Netflix drama, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (a film adaptation of August Wilson’s play starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman). She has been called the ‘Mother of the Blues’, and she has inspired a lot of other artists. The Guardian have provided more details about Ma Rainey:

“Rainey – pioneering as a blues singer, businesswoman and liberated bisexual – grew up in the Jim Crow south in the late 19th century. By her own account, she was born Gertrude Pridgett in Columbus on 26 April 1886, although other records suggest she was born in Alabama in September 1882.

She married singer, dancer and comedian William Rainey when she was 18 and, billed as Ma and Pa Rainey, they toured as performers for minstrel shows that travelled towns setting up their own tents and stages. After the couple separated in 1916, Rainey launched her own touring performance company, Madam Gertrude Ma Rainey and Her Georgia Smart Set.

She joined a wave of African Americans who quit the south to pursue dreams in desegregated northern cities such as Chicago. She signed with Paramount, a furniture company in Wisconsin that had got into the recording business, and became one of the first recorded blues musicians. Between 1923 and 1928 she made nearly a hundred records – one such recording session forms the basis of Wilson’s play – and had numerous hits.

Rainey, who wrote her own songs, was a mentor to singer Bessie Smith and worked with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Thomas Dorsey, who was musical director on some of her recordings. Her full-throated vocals have inspired singers from Dinah Washington to Janis Joplin”.

In honour of the pioneering Ma Rainey and her incredible life, this Lockdown Playlist includes a couple of her best tracks, but it also features other great Blues/Blues-Rock tracks. I will make the next Lockdown Playlist a bit cheerier but, to salute a Blues great, here are some great songs from…

AN underrated and underplayed genre.

FEATURE: Coming Strongly into Focus: Awesome Music Videos from 2020

FEATURE:

 

 

Coming Strongly into Focus

IN THIS PHOTO: Moses Sumney/PHOTO CREDIT: Pari Dukovic

Awesome Music Videos from 2020

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WHILST there is always a lot of attention….

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dua Lipa/PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Madigan Heck

this time of year regarding albums and singles, fewer sites and people mention music videos. This year has been an especially tough one when it comes to filming ambitious videos and, whilst some managed to complete theirs before the pandemic struck, others have had to make do with limitations and social distancing. It is hard whittling down the best videos of the year so, instead, I have selected some particularly brilliant ones that differ in terms of why they are standout – whether it is the simplicity or the sheer colour and vibrancy of it (Thanks to Insider, Billboard, and Paste, and Pitchfork for their descriptions and thoughts on each). I feel sorry for artists putting music out this year, as they have had to deliver videos and do their very best under tough conditions. Here are some incredible videos that prove that, even in a bleak year, artists have managed to…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama/PHOTO CREDIT: Jess Farran

PRODUCE some ace visuals!

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HAIM - I Know Alone (Director: Jake Schreier)

“Of all the beloved dance-focused videos Haim has made, none offer a better marriage of moves and subject matter than the accidental quarantine anthem "I Know Alone," written about by pre-COVID depression and isolation. With co-choreographer Francis and the Lights, the sisters created a routine that's both strikingly literal -- standing six feet apart, they mime aimlessly swiping on through their phones -- and subtly layered: Este, Danielle and Alana give a performance about going through the motions of life without actually going through the motions on camera. The fact that the sisters never interact despite their proximity also gives the video a surreal feeling, as if they could have been spliced together in post-production -- simultaneously together and apart, like all of us in 2020” - Billboard

 Ariana Grande – positions (Director: Dave Meyers)

“For the video to the title track from Ariana Grande’s sixth album, the pop star tries to relieve the nation’s collective anxiety around the presidential election by gifting us a blissful fever-dream version of the White House. Grande swans around in Jackie Kennedy outfits as the commander-in-chief (with a gilded portrait of her chihuahua Toulouse in the cabinet room), with a fabulous group of aides that includes regular collaborators Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx. She even awards a Medal of Freedom to USPS workers, another anti-Trump jab in a clip full of them” - Pitchfork

 Christine & The Queens - La vita nuova (Director: Colin Solal Cardo)

 “Earlier this year, Christine and the Queens released a surprise EP with an accompanying short film titled La vita nuova. The film was shot by Colin Solal Cardo at the Palais Garnier and features Caroline Polachek, who appears on one of the EP’s tracks. Choreography for the film was handled by Ryan Heffington, known for his work with Maddie Ziegler for Sia’s “Chandelier” video, as well as Arcade Fire’s “We Exist.” The film has a luscious, glittery sheen and bodily, primeval dancing reminiscent of Luca Guadagnino’s recent Suspiria remake. Chris (or Héloïse Letissier) struggles with her feelings for a horned creature credited as “The Fauna” (Félix Maritaud). There’s several gorgeous shots of the famed Parisian opera house, with styling that reflects the eclectic blend of baroque, classic and renaissance architecture present within the building” - Paste

 Rico Nasty - Own It (Director: Philippa Price)

 “When it comes to pulling off decadent, eccentric looks, Rico Nasty remains in a league of her own. For the swaggering “Own It,” her best video yet, she struts through a series of eye-popping sets, each one more stylishly freakish than the next. Pushing a stroller of ducklings while wearing acrylics and a neon gimp mask with icicles sticking out of it? Sure. Swaying on a swing set strung up with taxidermied opossums? Of course. Did I mention the dangling eyebrow piercings and inexplicable, oversized feet? Each visual oddity bears out Rico’s over-the-top vision with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, making the video as delightful as it is bizarre” - Pitchfork

 Arca – Nonbinary (Director: Frederik Heyman)

 “Arca’s very existence defies conventions—not to mention the challenging experimental soundscapes that brought her fame. Several of the visuals for her latest album KiCk i portray the Venezuelan-born electronic artist as an androgynous cyborg, and they are subversive, sensory explosions. The start of the video for “Nonbinary” finds a human Arca presumably mortally wounded before she’s gradually revived by highly-advanced cyborgs and gracefully reemerges from a shell. In the final scene, two identical Arcas appear while arguing—one dressed in black, and one in white—amid violently shaky cameras and raging flames. It’s full of contradictions and cloaked in symbolism, both subtle and overt. We see a dramatic, mythical tug-of-war between organic matter and machines, masculinity and femininity, heaven and hell—plus the “thorn” in her side, and the lyrics displayed on screen which alternate between lowercase and uppercase letters” - Paste 

 Moses Sumney - Me in 20 Years (Director: Allie Avital)

 “When crafting the visuals to accompany sophomore album græ, Moses Sumney took creative control into his own hands to communicate the sense of yearning at the core of the album. In his latest clip, for “Me in 20 Years,” Sumney cakes on old-age makeup and creeps around a dilapidated apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, rendering the song’s loneliness in very literal terms. “With your imprint in my bed/A pit so big I lay on the edge,” he sings, a lyric that comes to life here in the form of an ominous space of darkness on his empty bed, festering like an open wound. Throughout the clip, Sumney seems as if he’s tending to this black hole, perhaps eventually succumbing to it entirely” - Pitchfork

 Perfume Genius - Describe (Director: Mike Hadreas)

 "Can you describe them for me?" When it comes to Perfume Genius' self-directed music videos, the answer is never accurately or really appropriately -- they manage to be moving and tactile and memory-searing without ever cooperating with easy summarization. The "Describe" visual feels part barn-raise, part cult ritual, part theatrical workshop, but more importantly, it feels as earthy, sensual and poetic as the grunge-pop lurcher it accompanies, a world entirely of its own making” - Billboard

 Kate NV - Plans (Directors: Kate NV & Pavel Kling)

 “Moscow pop experimentalist Kate NV is a collector of unusual inspirations, from ’80s Japanese pop music to ’70s Russian children’s shows. Together they form a tuneful, unconventional vision of pop music, with dreamy lyrics in French, Russian, and English. The video for “Plans,” the upbeat latest single from Kate NV’s forthcoming third album Room for the Moon, is her best yet. In a screwy take on public-access television, she creates “Kate TV,” a station where she’s the lead news anchor (in a suit and severe makeup that channels both Laurie Anderson and Christine and the Queens). The clip takes full, cheeky advantage of its green-screen conceit, with a miniature version of Kate dancing on her own gloved hand, a dance sequence in front of a weather map that catches fire, and a cast of confused reporters who reappear in increasingly ridiculous outfits. The joyously absurdist clip leads up to an ecstatic, confetti-showered climax that perfectly channels Kate NV’s winsome charm” - Pitchfork

Beyoncé, Shatta Wale, Major Lazer – Already (Director: Joshua Kissi)

 “Of course, "Already" is better when it's consumed within the greater framework of "Black Is King." But even on its own, this video is a painstakingly styled and deeply impressive enterprise. You can pause "Already" at literally any moment and it will look like a painting. In fact, it's more performance art than music video.

On top of its sheer beauty, "Already" features countless details that pay homage to pan-Africanism, including West African symbolism, Ghanaian excellence, and Nigerian fashion.

Not to mention: Beyoncé nailing the Gbese and sticking out her tongue? That two-second clip alone would be enough to land at No. 1 on this list” - Insider

 FKA twigs - sad day (Director: Hiro Murai)

“While touring behind 2019’s MAGDALENE, FKA twigs performed the martial art of wushu, which involves a jian sword and incredible self-control. She puts those skills to use in the video to the album’s crushing centerpiece, “sad day,” helmed by “This Is America” and Atlanta director Hiro Murai. The short film captures a clash between twigs and a man sitting in a café—their connection is left unspoken, but as the two launch into a sword fight that crashes out onto the streets and rooftops, it’s obvious something much more intense is going on. All of twigs’ videos for MAGDALENE have been cinematic and emotionally wrenching, but here she and Murai craft a surprising spin on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that perfectly fits the song’s cutting depiction of a breakup” - Pitchfork

Rina Sawayama – XS (Director: Ali Kurr)

  “Japanese-British force Rina Sawayama blessed us with her debut album this year, and one of the highlights was obviously "XS." (Or rather, “excess.” Get it?) The video is huge in scope, as Sawayama appears on an HSN-style network and hawks “RINA Water” products over slammin' guitars, all between exaggerated choreography. But things start to deteriorate when we get a look at the factory workers bottling a product that just might be toxic -- and which is extracted from a pitiful jailed creature -- and Sawayama’s shiny television personality malfunctions. It’s entirely over the top, and a clever commentary on glitzy consumerism to boot. Oh me, oh my!” - Billboard

 Cardi B (ft. Megan Thee Stallion) – WAP (Director: Colin Tilley)

  “As Stereogum's Tom Breihan writes: "In a summer that's been hopelessly devoid of crowd-pleasing spectacle, the 'WAP' video is the closest thing we have to a new 'Avengers' movie."

"WAP" is precisely the kind of music video that elevates a song from catchy to iconic. The song is unabashedly, gloriously filthy, and only a video that appropriately celebrates Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion — meaning both their talent and their curves — could have done it proper justice.

But the genius of "WAP" doesn't stop there. For the price of one video, you are also blessed with a Normani dance break and the endless amusement of angry, horny conservative pundits voluntarily exposing their utter lack of interest in female pleasure” - Insider

 Kelly Lee Owens - On (Director: Kasper Häggström)

“A man and his adorable golden retriever go on a seemingly mundane road trip in the video for “On,” from electronic artist Kelly Lee Owens’ forthcoming second LP Inner Song. Filmed with the gloss of a car commercial, the clip follows them on a long drive through the countryside, watching from the backseat as they stop to play catch and run along the beach. The sentimental journey raises questions about where they’re headed and why, with those answers ultimately revealed in a sequence at a ferry landing that’s both crushing and oddly hopeful. Its simple visual concept is delivered with a clear, compassionate touch” - Pitchfork

Crack Cloud - Ouster Stew (Director: Self-directed)

 “In comparison to the tightly-coiled, guitar-driven post-punk of Crack Cloud’s self-titled release, “Ouster Stew” is more colorful and eccentric—adding synths and saxophone into the mix. Lead singer Zach Choy’s (the group are adamant not to call him a frontman, doubling down on their decentralized model) vocals are positively waggish as their guitars squawk with an art-rock-meets-funk vivacity. Perhaps most unexpected is the bare, pronounced, mid-song drum solo, during which chaos breaks out in the song’s dramatic, high-concept video. Their visuals and sonic ambition recall the aesthetics of U.K. outfit HMLTD, whose 2020 debut album, West of Eden, also infused militaristic, high art, gothic and theatrical imagery” - Paste

 Phoebe Bridgers - I Know the End (Director: Alissa Torvinen)

 “Crescendoing closer “I Know the End” is one of the most stunning moments on Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, and the video captures that same anthemic quality. It finds the singer in her now-trademark skeleton onesie as she endures various states of instability: sunken in an overflowing bathtub, fleeing on the back of a pickup truck, running through an empty football stadium in the dark. Then, just when it seems like things couldn’t get more surreal, the clip climaxes with one of the most unexpected makeout sessions in recent music video history” - Pitchfork

 Lady Gaga - 911 (Director: Tarsem Singh)

 “The most conceptual video of the Chromatica era so far is a feat of COVID-era filmmaking — nothing about Gaga's or director Tarsem Singh's vision feels compromised by the realities of the pandemic. And what a vision it is: The "911" video resembles a turducken of metaphors, telling the story of a mental health crisis through the story of a car crash and the imagery of the 1969 Soviet Armenian film The Color of Pomegranates. Like Gaga's best videos, there's a certain je-ne-sais-WTF element, at least until the big reveal. But like any good psychological thriller, the "911" video more than earns its twist. Gaga and Singh create a world so rich with symbolism that decoding it doesn't feel like the end — it's an invitation to dive back in” - Billboard

 Slowthai - BB (BODYBAG) (Directors: THE REST)

 “slowthai’s “BB (BODYBAG)” is a pure shot of adrenaline, with rapid-fire threats delivered over a relentlessly rolling beat by Mount Kimbie’s Dom Maker. Its video ups the ante by dropping us into a tense game of Russian roulette in a parking garage, and it never eases up on the dread: The Bajan-British rapper sports a mask made of cigarette butts, raps through the POV of an open mouth like the dentist in Little Shop of Horrors, and plays a knife game with his hand as flames rise behind him. Menace runs deep in slowthai’s feverish rap, and here he amps up the imagery to brutal new highs” - Pitchfork

 Halsey - you should be sad (Director: Colin Tilley)

  “On an album full of courage, chaos, and bare honesty, "You Should Be Sad" is a particularly bold highlight.

With cutting lyrics like "I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you / 'Cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you" — largely inspired by country music's history of petty and powerful breakup bops — this song always deserved an equally splashy, dauntless visual. Thankfully, Halsey delivered just that.

The music video doubles as a sexy hoedown and a salute to some of Halsey's female idols, including Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, and Lady Gaga.

Every detail is deliciously on target, from the dark, fiery tear-stains painted onto Halsey's face to the cheetah-clad reference to Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much” - Insider 

CHAI - Donuts Mind If I Do (Director: Hideto Hotta)

 “The Japanese rock band CHAI have a stellar track record for unexpected, creative videos, whether popping their arms and heads through bright-pink paper backdrops or smearing frosted icing on each other’s faces in a parking garage. For their breezy new song “Donuts Mind If I Do,” the band’s easygoing camaraderie is given a literally timeless portrayal. Set at a tea party on a bucolic hillside, the band eat colorful, plate-sized donuts. Then everything time-jumps to the same location years later, with CHAI dressed in old-age makeup, complete with headwraps and clunky eyeglasses. They’re still eating their donuts and enjoying each other’s company, lounging on trees and reading books together. It’s a charming testament to enduring friendship” - Pitchfork

 Dua Lipa - Break My Heart (Director: Henry Scholfield)

 "I've always been the one to say the first goodbye," Dua Lipa laments at the top of "Break My Heart," and the video fittingly finds her slipping in and out of various scenes, Inception-style, without breaking a sweat. We see her plummeting through the pink-purple sky until an airplane constructs itself around her; dropping into a bubble bath only to reappear floating in a fizzy cocktail; and dominating a dancefloor until the camera pulls back, revealing it was just one small dot on a domino – which another Dua Lipa, naturally, knocks over” - Billboard

FEATURE: In the Arms of the Angel Gabriel… The Spine-Tingling Impact of Kate Bush’s Vocal on Don’t Give Up

FEATURE:

 

 

In the Arms of the Angel Gabriel…

 The Spine-Tingling Impact of Kate Bush’s Vocal on Don’t Give Up

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I do get a bit annoyed…

when people refer to Don’t Give Up as ‘a Kate Bush song’, as it was written by Peter Gabriel and appears on his 1986 album, So. I guess, as it is a duet, one can say that it is sort of half-and-half, but it is very much a Gabriel song. I will come to the track in a bit, but there is a whole new feature waiting that explores the influence of Peter Gabriel on Kate Bush. When it comes to breakthroughs in music, Peter Gabriel introducing Kate Bush to the wonders and layers of the Fairlight C.M.I. counts as one of the most important. Bush used the Fairlight C.M.I. on Never for Ever in 1980 but more fully from The Dreaming (1982) onwards. The two worked together on Gabriel’s third self-titled album of 1980, and one can feel Bush adding something special to Games Without Frontiers, and No Self Control. Those vocal parts were backing parts, but she incorporated something special to each song! Although Gabriel never appeared on a Kate Bush studio album, his impact on her was big. He featured on Bush’s Christmas special of 1979; introduced as ‘the Angel Gabriel’, the two performed a haunting duo on Roy Harper’s Another Day. Gabriel also appeared on stage with Kate Bush and Steve Harley to cover The Beatles’ Let It Be at a benefit concert for Bill Duffield (a lighting engineer that died during Kate Bush’s The Tour of Life) in 1979.

The most complete and astonishing collaboration between Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush arrived on 1986’s Don’t Give Up. This article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia provides more details:

“Song written by Peter Gabriel. Originally released on his fifth studio album 'So' in 1986. Also released as a single from the album in October 1986. Gabriel originally wrote the song from a reference point of American roots music and he approached entertainer Dolly Parton to sing the song with him. However, Parton turned him down, so his friend Kate Bush took her place. She recorded her vocals in February 1986 at Peter Gabriel's home studio in Ashcombe House. Peter had already recorded his vocals, so she followed his lead. After this recording, she felt she had "messed it up" and so she returned later to sing it again.

Peter Gabriel has performed 'Don't Give Up' live various times, amongst others during his Secret World live tour in 1993. Kate Bush performed the song with him just once, when she was a surprise guest on Peter Gabriel's concert on 28 June 1987 at Earl's Court, London”.

The track was recorded during 1985 – which was a remarkably fertile period for Kate Bush -, and it reached number-nine in the U.K. I love to think of these two major artists enjoying some real highs getting together in the studio. Bush released Hounds of Love in 1985, whilst So was the first Gabriel album in four years. In terms of Kate Bush and her sound, there is a leap from the songs on Hounds of Love and what we hear on Don’t Give Up.

I don’t think Bush had been as heart-breaking and heart-warming up until this point. The sheer emotion and passion she put into the song is incredible - and I wonder whether Don’t Give Up inspired the direction of The Sensual World (1989) and songs like This Woman’s Work. I wanted to talk about this song, not only to show that Bush was a wonderful collaborator and there was this close harmony between her and Gabriel, but to prove how important the track is in 2020. In such a tough year, a song about a man losing his job and trying to keep his head above water sounds especially stirring and moving. I love the reassurance from Bush and what her voice does in the chorus. Don’t Give Up is one of Gabriel’s greatest songs, and I like the fact he was generous regarding giving Bush enough spotlight and a big role. It is one of those classic duets where the two have their own verses and then combine when needed. It is this conversation where Gabriel, as the hero, looks around and realises he is not the same man…then we have Bush providing a shoulder and reassurance. Right from the first verse, the emotions performed (by Gabriel) are so powerful: “No fight left or so it seems/I am a man whose dreams have all deserted/I've changed my name, I've changed my face/But no one wants you when you lose”. Gabriel is bereft and is searching for a new lease whilst Bush, as his lover/friend, gives these beautiful words of comfort: “Rest your head/You worry too much/It's going to be alright/When times get rough/You can fall back on us/Don't give up/Please don't give up”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush in 1987/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

When Gabriel is at his most troubled – “Got to walk out of here/I can't take anymore/Going to stand on that bridge/Keep my eyes down below/Whatever may come/And whatever may go/That river's flowing/That river's flowing” –, Bush gives him this stability and knowledge that he has friends and is not alone. There have been songs before and since with similar themes, but I don’t think any have quite matched the intensity and sheer emotional impact of Don’t Give Up! Peter Gabriel is one of the most underrated singers ever, and he brings so much to the song. His vocal has a roughness and rawness to it, whereas Bush offers something sweeter. I know she was not happy with the first go she had at the song, but I love what is on the record as Bush sounds concerned-yet-strong; she provides this soft and sweet vocal, but there is also this real sadness and heaviness that seamlessly combines. Both are at their very best on the song and, in a rotten year, I think many people have taken a lot from this track and can relate to it. I think it is a song that people should listen to should they find themselves in a very bleak place. For Bush, this was her stepping into someone else’s world and adding something incredible; for Gabriel, Don’t Give Up was a standout on the So album. Sitting alongside songs like Sledgehammer, and In Your Eyes, he was in tremendous form as a songwriter! If you need some wisdom and words to give you strength, then consider Kate Bush’s in the final moments of Don’t Give Up: “Don't give up/'Cause I believe there's a place…

THERE’S a place where we belong”.

FEATURE: Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure: Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

FEATURE:

 

 

Too Good to Be Forgotten: Songs That Are Much More Than a Guilty Pleasure

Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe

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LIKE many songs that I highlight…

in this feature, there are two different schools of thought regarding Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 superhit, Call Me Maybe. On the surface, it is a great Pop song with a catchy chorus, thought there are many people who think it is throwaway, sugary and embarrassing. Some Pop songs are very much aimed for a demographic and can alienate people but, like all classic Pop, Call Me Maybe is not restrictive and it welcomes everyone in. I have seen the track included in lists of songs that should be seen as a guilty pleasure and, whether you believe in guilty pleasures, there are plenty of people who are not hot on Carly Rae Jepsen’s anthem. She is an artist who we have not heard a lot from lately. Her current studio album, Dedicated, came out last year and critics noted how her vocals are less impassioned and belting, but the passion and sheer commitment to the material Jepsen shows is amazing. It is a brilliant album but, heading back to 2012, Kiss got some praise from various corners. Many noted how Jepsen’s voice is one of the most powerful and expressive (despite not having a huge range), whereas others observed there were some big hits but some filler too. I should cover Kiss for Second Spin as it is a great album that has been overlooked by some. In September 2011, Jepsen released the first single from the album a full year before Kiss arrived.

If you are going to put out a single and try and build intrigue and excitement, then Call Me Maybe was a pretty good choice! Actually, Call Me Maybe was released first as part of the Curiosity E.P. of 2012. To deliver a solid and excellent E.P. and album in the same year is amazing! As her debut album, Tug of War, came out in 2008, I guess there was a big demand for new music. Call Me Maybe is a brilliant Bubblegum Pop song; it is one that provides energy and fun without taxing you too much. That sounds dismissive, but I mean modern Pop has become more complex and layered - and it does also lack a sense of fun. Call Me Maybe has maturity, but it is also quite teenage in its lyrics and feel. Maybe that is a reason why some people do not like the song: they feel it is a bit juvenile and does not have the same depth and quality as some of the best Pop. Call Me Maybe reached number-one in many countries – including Canada, the U.S. and U.K. -, and it reached the top of the Canadian Hot 100 (the British Columbia-born artist became only the fifth Canadian to achieve this feat in their home nation since 2007). I want to bring in a segment from Wikipedia, where we learn about the critical reception of Call Me Maybe:

“The song received critical acclaim. Rolling Stone journalist Melody Lau considered "Call Me Maybe" "a sugary dance-pop tune ... about hoping for a call back from a crush," while Kat George of VH1 described it as a "guilty pop pleasure."

Emma Carmichael of Gawker did a long review on the track, which she described as the "new perfect pop song."  Carmichael further added that the song is "flawless" and that "we will be virtually incapable of escaping the song and its strident disco strings and that horribly catchy hook." Nicole James of MTV revealed that "Call Me Maybe" is probably the catchiest song she has ever heard, and added that "I don't even want to tell you what the play count is in my iTunes for that song, but the moment you press play you're sucked in."

The Village Voice's Maura Johnston deemed it as an "utterly earwormy" song. RedEye's Emily Van Zandt began her review of the track saying, "screw you, Internet. Thanks to a couple of posts on blogs that I refuse to own up to following, my afternoon has been dedicated to Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe'." Van Zandt continued to state that "all I know is that I have co-dependency issues when it comes to my music. When it's sad, I'm sad. When it's angry, I'm angry. And when it's ridiculously over-produced, up-tempo bubblegum pop with terrible lyrics on a beautiful day in Chicago when I'm wearing pink pants, I just kind of want to start skipping around handing my number out to random bros, you know?" Jim Farber of the New York Daily News said, "In lyrical construction, melodic flourish and instrumental arrangement, 'Maybe' has the urgency and sweep of the greatest teen pop songs ever recorded."

Pitchfork Media named "Call Me Maybe" the 29th best song of 2012, while Rolling Stone named it the 50th greatest single of that year.  It was voted the best single of 2012 by The Village Voice's 40th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll. As of April 2017, Billboard ranked at number 1 on list "The Best Chorus of the 21st Century”.

I guess a ‘guilty pleasure’ implies a satisfaction in addition to a bit of an embarrassing love, but one cannot say Call Me Maybe is a guilty pleasure!

The Curiosity E.P. and Kiss album are fantastic, as they showcase a versatile and brilliant artist who could deliver a big and bright Pop classic in addition to being more sensitive and taking things down. Perhaps now, at thirty-five, Jepsen cannot write songs like Call Me Maybe, so perhaps that track was capturing a moment; also, after a relatively successful debut album, a bid for greater awareness and popularity. Whereas the song could have been quite cynical and paint-by-numbers, there is ample nuance and personal meaning behind a song that clearly connected with so many people. As someone who does not necessarily seek out and embrace Pop like Call Me Maybe, it is a song that provides a real rush and still sounds good nearly a decade after its release! If you have not heard the track, then go and take a moment to spin Call Me Maybe. I can guarantee that it will get lodged in the head. If Kiss did not contain another song quite as big and popular as Call Me Maybe, songs like This Kiss, and Curiosity showed that Jepsen had plenty of ammunition! One of the problems with Kiss is that it has so many producers credited and was recorded at a load of different studios - which can make it fill disjointed and incohesive at points. That said, it is stronger than it has been given credit for. Call Me Maybe is a song Jepsen wrote with Josh Ramsay and Tavish Crowe – Ramsay produced the song, so it is quite focused and streamlined in that sense, whereas a song like Turn Me Up is a bit busier. I think those who sniffed at Call Me Maybe should give it another try, because it is a…

PRETTY decent and memorable track!

FEATURE: A Buyer’s Guide: Part Thirty-Four: Eels

FEATURE:

 

 

A Buyer’s Guide

PHOTO CREDIT: Gus Black 

Part Thirty-Four: Eels

___________

I have been a fan of Eels….

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Ringer illustration

since the debut album, Beautiful Freak, arrived in 1996. Eels was formed in Los Angeles in 1991 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett, known by the stage name E. Band members have changed across the years, both in the studio and on stage, making Everett the only official member for most of the band's work. The latest album, Earth to Dora, was released earlier this year and is fantastic. In this edition, I am recommending the four essential albums of Eels; an underrated album that is worth checking out; the latest studio album, in addition to a book that is a useful companion. If you need some guidance to the work of Eels, then I hope that you get some…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Gus Black 

GOOD guidance below.

_____________

The Four Essential Albums

 

Beautiful Freak

Release Date: 13th August, 1996

Label: DreamWorks

Producers: Jon Brion/E/Mark Goldenberg/Michael Simpson

Standout Tracks: Susan’s House/Beautiful Freak/Your Lucky Day in Hell

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=111487&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/7sqwuxORaCogFGgygafdSt

Review:

““Beautiful Freak”, the album’s title song, features electric piano and very somber vocals by Everett, While the lyrics are a little weak on this track, the surreal and sad mood makes up for this deficiency. Co-written by guest guitarist Jon Brion, “Not Ready Yet” is a sad tune about recovering from disaster and feeling the isolation of that situation. The longest track on the album, this song leaves plenty of room for musical grooves as it is bass and rhythm-driven with several guitar overdubs. “My Beloved Monster” with a very slight banjo before the electric guitar-driven song proper begins and, during the second verse and beyond a bouncy bass and feedback effects add a real edge to the sonic qualities of this song. Co-written by Keyboardist Jim Jacobsen who provides a cool  synthesized choir, “Flower” may be the highlight of the entire album. Melodically and lyrically this track works very well as a sad slacker creed with the clever refrain; “everyone is trying to bum me out…”

The later part of the album has more solid tracks which remain within the spirit of the overall album while also introducing some nice new methods. “Guest List” is built on funky, descending bass while “Mental” features an upbeat bass/key riff by Walter and some hard rock chording in the choruses. “Spunky” has a lyrical sense of reserved enthusiasm which matches the song’s title as “Your Lucky Day in Hell” is soulful with cool rhythms, effects and high-registered vocals. The album wraps “Manchild”, the most traditional, “lover’s lament” ballad on the album, co-written by Jill Sobule, with a long, surreal fade-out with sound effects to usher out the album” – Classic Rock Review

Choice Cut: Novocaine for the Soul

Electro-Shock Blues

Release Date: 21st September, 1998

Label: DreamWorks

Producers: E/Jim Jacobsen/Mickey Petralia/Michael Simpson

Standout Tracks: 3 Speed/Last Stop: This Town/Climbing to the Moon

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Eels-Electro-Shock-Blues/master/111500

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6SZeOhypPklZ2oLywHluyS

Review:

“The Eels' second release, Electro-Shock Blues, is a much darker album than their underrated debut, 1996's Beautiful Freak, but just as rewarding. Singer/guitarist/songwriter E experienced many upheavals in his personal life between albums (the passing of several family members and close friends), and decided to work his way through life's tribulations via his music. The result is a spectacular epic work, easily on par with such classic albums cut from the same cloth -- Neil Young's Tonight's the Night, Lou Reed's Magic and Loss. For some of the most introspective and haunting tunes of recent times, look no further than the title track, "Last Stop: This Town," and "Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor." And although the lyrics deal almost entirely with mortality, the music for "Hospital Food," "Cancer for the Cure," and "Going to Your Funeral, Pt. 1" is comparable to Beck's funky noise, while "Efils' God," "The Medication Is Wearing Off," and "My Descent Into Madness" are all ethereal, soothing compositions. One of the finest and fully realized records of 1998, a must-hear” – AllMusic

Choice Cut: Cancer for the Cure

Daisies of the Galaxy

Release Date: 28th February, 2000

Label: DreamWorks

Producer: E

Standout Tracks: Grace Kelly Blues/Flyswatter/Jeannie’s Diary

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=111503&ev=mb

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/1myZZzfBVfMo7t4yvgAXte?si=WULEaFkQQU-gykPLPUgHXg

Review:

“This would be wonderful, life-enriching stuff even as it stands, but the psychodrama that underlies it all is even more compelling. So while 'Electro-Shock Blues' was the sound of raw wounds, 'Daisies...' is a more profound rumination upon beauty and mortality. There's a song called 'It's A Motherfucker', which, in the kind of deadpan twist that E relishes, is a beautifully restrained shrug of the shoulders at the nature of loss. It could be dedicated to a former lover or to the memory of his recently deceased mother (E's a lucky fellow) - it doesn't matter. 'Selective Memory' is much more explicit, as E effects a childlike falsetto and intones, "If I lay my head down I will see you in my dream". He is racking his brains, reaching for one defining conscious memory of his mum that will compensate for her death. It doesn't come; it won't come. Time to leave that love behind and carry on.

The stellar NME Single Of The Week, 'Mr E's Beautiful Blues', is casually dumped as a hidden track right at the end and thus 'Daisies Of The Galaxy' peters out. Only in such illustrious company could the song fail to shine. For here is an album that, in its wit, humility and calmness in the face of a firing squad of terrors, justifies the existence of pop albums. In almost every respect a masterpiece” – NME

Choice Cut: Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues

Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Release Date: 26th April, 2005

Label: Vagrant

Producer: E

Standout Tracks: Blinking Lights (For Me)/Theme for a Pretty Girl That Makes You Believe God Exists/I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Eels-Blinking-Lights-And-Other-Revelations/master/117734

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/4wDi8zECGQLpG8PlyB250b

Review:

“The backdrop to Eels' sixth album lies in the suicide of frontman E's sister, parents' deaths and a cousin's role as a flight attendant on a fatal 9/11 aeroplane. The record company must have similarly feared for the band's career when E spent eight years between projects working on a hefty 33 tracks, but this may be one of the best albums to have arisen out of grief.

Resisting the urge to wallow, he has had the insight to weld some harrowing lyrics to tunes which recall the childlike, hallucinogenic melodies of Brian Wilson at his peak. Contrarily, the singer's voice has been ravaged to a Tom Waits-style croak. In between lie pianos, strings, desolation, drama and revelation.

The first disc of this double CD jangles nerves with pop songs which dissect personal issues through wider problems facing America, but the stunning second finds meaning to it all in a series of supernaturally beautiful ballads. By then, E is insisting: "If I had to do it all again, well, it's something I'd like to do" - perfect advice for the listener” – The Guardian

Choice Cut: Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)

The Underrated Gem

 

Hombre Lobo (12 Songs of Desire)

Release Date: 2nd June, 2009

Labels: E Works/Vagrant

Producer: E

Standout Tracks: Prizefighter/Tremendous Dynamite/All the Beautiful Things

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Eels-Hombre-Lobo-12-Songs-Of-Desire/master/121214

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/5qbb1FBWnws45S6eMUvo2D

Review:

“Mark Oliver Everett takes his latest album title quite literally, unleashing predatory howls over distortion-ridden stompers like “Fresh Blood,” only to awake as an innocent mensch. The gentler E distances himself from his lycanthropic alter ego, searching for Ms. Right backed by a familiar arsenal of winsome melodies and elegant string arrangements. The album doesn’t declare an outright winner in the “hopeless romantic versus beast” showdown, but its catchiest track is a bouncy marriage proposal (“Beginner’s Luck”) complete with church bells” – SPIN

Choice Cut: Fresh Blood

The Latest Album

 

Earth to Dora

Release Date: 30th October, 2020

Label: E Works/PIAS

Producer: E

Standout Tracks: Earth to Dora/The Gentle Souls/I Got Hurt

Buy: https://www.discogs.com/Eels-Earth-To-Dora/master/1831199

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/2PtZABAnPwyVF8KquMWPnG

Review:

“Revisiting the fertile emotional ground of Eels’ earliest albums, where naive simplicity met life-worn melancholy, ‘Earth To Dora’ is structured to trace the rise and fall of a relationship (but not, E has been at pains to point out, as an open diary of his recent, short-lived marriage). Opener ‘Anything For Boo’ finds this renowned romantic punchbag sidling cautiously and reluctantly into love, laying such winning lines on his new partner as “I learned the hard way to be prepared” and “given the options, I’d rather be alone”.

Predictably, it doesn’t work out. On the gorgeously deflated ‘Dark And Dramatic’, he notes: “She’s beautiful, but she doesn’t fight fair… Maybe something in her past makes her sure it won’t last”. The bluesy ‘Are You Fucking Your Ex’ finds them at the relationship crunch point, while collegiate soft rock of ‘The Gentle Souls’ soundtracks the final collapse. The comes a glimmer of hope: ‘Baby Let’s Make It Real’ and ‘Waking Up’ begin the romantic cycle back at its first tentative, cynical steps again; he’s even harder-bitten but helpless to resist another round.

All of which makes for Eels’ most complete and self-contained record, arguably the epitome of their ouvre and a record that places E – in his own gruff, xylophone-toting way –alongside the great downtrodden romantics: Cohen; Rufus Wainwright; Stephin Merritt of Magnetic Fields; Nick Cave. Just the sort of bullheaded optimism we need, in fact, to see us through the cold winter ahead” – NME

Choice Cut: Baby Let’s Make It Real

The Eels Book

 

Things the Grandchildren Should Know

Author: Mark Oliver Everett

Publication Date: 2nd July, 2009

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Synopsis:

“How does one young man survive the deaths of his entire family and manage to make something worthwhile of his life? In Things The Grandchildren Should Know Mark Oliver Everett tells the story of what it's like to grow up the insecure son of a genius in a wacky Virginia Ice Storm-like family. Left to run wild with his sister, his father off in some parallel universe of his own invention, Everett's upbringing was 'ridiculous, sometimes tragic and always unsteady'. But somehow he manages to not only survive his crazy upbringing and ensuing tragedies; he makes something of his life, striking out on a journey to find himself by channelling his experiences into his, eventually, critically acclaimed music with the Eels. But it's not an easy path. Told with surprising candour, Things The Grandchildren Should Know is an inspiring and remarkable story, full of hope, humour and wry wisdom” – Waterstones

Order: https://www.waterstones.com/book/things-the-grandchildren-should-know/mark-oliver-everett/9780349120843

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Heartbreaker: Dionne Warwick’s Best Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

PHOTO CREDIT: Marcus Ingram/Getty Images

Heartbreaker: Dionne Warwick’s Best Tracks

___________

IT may seem random putting Dionne Warwick…

and her music into a Lockdown Playlist, but she has been owning Twitter recently, so I thought it would be a nice nod to the legend. Not only is she working with Chance the Rapper and The Weeknd for a charity single, but she thought that Billie Eilish was called ‘William Eyelash’! You have to respect her and, as we head into 2021, I wonder whether Warwick will release a new album. Her thirtieth studio album, Dionne Warwick & the Voices of Christmas, was released in October last year, and I know there is going to demand for more material from her! Because Dionne Warwick is one of the most successful female artists ever – she ranks second to Aretha Franklin as the most-charted female vocalist with sixty-nine singles making the Billboard Hot 100 during the Rock era (1955–1999). Warwick has sold over seventy-five million singles and twenty-five million albums worldwide -, I thought it was only right to pull together some of her best songs to show what…

AN icon she is.

FEATURE: Room for the Life: Kate Bush and Vegetarianism

FEATURE:

 

 

Room for the Life

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush met with Delia Smith in 1979/1980 (the episode aired on 29th February, 1980) for her T.V. show, Delia Smith’s Cookery Course (which, at that time, was something of a novelty) - “Our future will not contain as much meat”, Delia said in the introduction

Kate Bush and Vegetarianism

___________

ALTHOUGH the title (the first part) of this feature…

refers to a song Bush recorded for The Kick Inside concerning pregnancy and human life, I am applying this to animals and eating meat. I am going to include a little bit about Kate Bush’s vegetarianism, as it is a side to her that I really like. I will bring in an article from Far Out Magazine as they covered the subject back in July. I think that diet, actually, is quite important when it comes to artists. Through reading various interviews and testimonies, I know that Bush is a wonderful host. Musicians who have worked with her have said how she offers tea (and snacks) regularly - she wants to make sure everyone is well looked after. Maybe that stems from her mother, Hannah, who was a legendary host. At the childhood home, East Wickham Farm, guests would be excellently catered for and there was this warmth ands geniality that brimmed from the mother Bush. Taking from her mum and Kate Bush, whether she was busy recording or rehearsing, wanted to ensure that people around her were happy. I have discussed before how Bush’s diet took a turn towards the unhealthy when she was making The Dreaming. She recorded that album between 1980 and 1982 (and I will talk about her meeting Delia Smith in 1979/1980 very soon). I think the reason why Bush indulged in takeaways, chocolate and less healthy food when making that album was the stress and fact she was keeping so busy.

Barely emerging from the studio and spending much time cooking healthy meals, she was more reliant on quick fixes and handy snacks. This did change when she set up to make Hounds of Love; Bush overhauled her diet and, as such, I think that improved her psychological state and inspired her to take up dance again. I am just trying to think of any famous music vegetarians in 1979/1980 – Paul McCartney is the only one who leaps to mind! Whilst one cannot directly link vegetarianism to better music and fitness, when Bush was immersed preparing The Tour of Life, she was subsiding on this lighter and healthier diet. I will bring in a video below where one can see (from 15:42) how important food was to ensuring Bush was fuelled but not weighed down. There, her sister-in-law was making the meals, and I think that, if Bush was a meat-eater, then that might have impacted her physical regime and energy levels. The Nationwide documentary of 1979 gave us a look at the interesting dishes that Bush and her team were eating whilst putting together this immense tour. I think a balanced and nutritious diet can influence mental-health and creativity in addition to physical well-being. I am going to end with a bit of a cheeky/strange video of Kate Bush preparing cups of tea – that got some reaction when someone shared it on social media earlier this year -, but I think of her recording and immersing herself in work and being kept energised by these vegetarian meals and a good old cup of tea!

I want to bring in an interesting article before I get to Far Out Magazine - where we hear Bush discuss her vegetarianism and approach to animals being killed:

“If vegetarians are against the killing of animals for food, why don't they object to them being killed for leather?

I think there are a lot of vegetarians who are against animals being killed to make leather, and they do go out of their way to wear rubber and plastic shoes and belts, but I think that there is a practical side to it, as well. Leather is very warm, and it's nice to look at, but it does require a lot of effort for most of us to make a different choice from the normal, and I find myself that I do wear quite a few leather shoes. Not that I consciously buy them because they're made of leather, but I do have a few, and I think it's something to do with the tradition of leather being used in clothing. But there's no excuse for the mass production of leather, and I think it comes down to effort and how far you really want to go. It's up to you in the long run.

You are a vegetarian and yet you wear fur coats. Why?

I don't wear fur coats. I haven't got one. I don't own one and I don't believe in wearing them - I may have occasionally been in photos with one, but it wouldn't have been mine. It would have been one that I'd borrowed because it was very cold; for instance in Switzerland, when I did the Abba special. [In fact, as far as I know, that was the only time Kate has ever been seen in a fur. - IED] But I don't believe in people wearing fur coats, I think it's very extravagant and again, I think people don't tend to associate the clothes with the animals they come from, especially the rare animals that some of the coats are made of. You can get incredibly good imitation ones now - I've seen ones that I thought were real fur and they weren't. They're really fantastic, and they cost less, too.

Do you follow vegetarian recipes from books, or do you make up your own?

I do follow recipes from books, but I find that normally I don't stick to them, especially if I haven't got all the ingredients, and I tend to substitute different vegetables. If I'm feeling really brave, occasionally I base a meal on a recipe and make the rest up. Cooking is quite a logical thing, really, and you soon learn the things that go together - what works and what doesn't.

You say in interviews that you don't eat meat because you don't believe in eating life. But you eat plants, and they are living things. Why?

I do eat plants, and I know they're living, and I'm fond of them, but I think you have to find your own level. I could live on pills, but I don't think it's very human to do that - that is something we dream of in the space age: food without texture or mass. I don't think plants mind being eaten, actually. I think they'd be really sad if no-one paid that much attention to them. I appreciate them very much for the things they give me. I'd be very sad if there weren't any vegetables, and normally it isn't the actual plant that's killed - it's the fruit or vegetable that's taken off. I think this is the purpose of plants, that they grow to be eaten. The only problem is that it has become a very mass-produced market, again, and that the really natural, unchemicalised environment doesn't really exist. Too many chemicals are used on plants, but while there is a demand for brightly coloured food in pretty packets, that's how it will carry on. But you can get fresh, organically grown vegetables. You can grow them yourselves, and if you look around and ask, you'll find that there are a few shops and some local farms that sell vegetables that have not been grown in chemically fertilised ground. (1980, KBC 5)”.

This takes me to a wonderful video where Kate Bush met with Delia Smith to discuss her vegetarianism - where she also talked about some of the dishes that she particularly likes. Far Out Magazine provide us with some background:

“It would follow a run of genius moves for Bush who, in 1980, was one of the world’s most creative and captivating artists. In 1978, her debut single ‘Wuthering Heights’ had become the first self-written number one by a female artist.

In support of that traction, Bush went out on tour. Her 1979, ‘Tour of Life’ had been met with a fever pitch of exclamations on her talent. In 1980, she was crowned as the first British female solo artist to top the UK album charts, and the first female solo artist ever to enter the UK album chart straight in at No.1 for her album Never For Ever. Kate Bush was a bonafide pop star.

That fact makes it all the more surreal to see Kate Bush talking Delia Smith through her favourite salad recipes. But then again, should we be surprised, this is British television, after all, an institution built on the most awkward of foundations.

Clearly, though, Bush was a rather welcomed guest, despite Delia’s consternation, as she offers some vital tips for any Waldorf Salad-lovers out there. “I notice you’ve left the skins on the apples and I like that,” says Delia. “Yes, there’s so much natural goodness in the skins,” the wise Bush responds, offering up her cooking knowledge.

The cooking tips don’t end there either as Bush also offers up some top tips for vegetarians looking for some extra protein: “There are things that I think people miss out on because they think there’s a very select area where you use nuts but I think you can use them in anything.” She continues: “You can just sprinkle them over salads, which is fantastic,” Delia still a little bemused adds.

Bush offers another idea too “in fact it’s quite nice by itself. It makes you feel a bit like a parrot.”

The tips come after Kate starts the section with a view on her new-found vegetarianism confessing that “I didn’t have a clue you know, I had no idea what I could eat”. While this sentiment may feel quite alien to us now 40 years on, in 1980, vegetarianism was still an unusual concept and Bush’s knowledge and education was probably largely the first time much of the public had been introduced to the concept outside of the McCartneys”.

I opened by saying that, in addition to her vegetarian diet, Kate Bush also is a big tea fan. In any case, she always offers people a cup and, as a terrific host, people who work with and visit her are provided with this warmth. I have not heard of anyone complaining of her tea-making abilities but, earlier in the year, I saw a video shared online of an old interview/documentary where Bush was being followed…and we sort of got a glimpse into her daily life. The video below, perhaps, shows how not to make tea – but, her being her, she does it in this sort of magic and wonderful way! Really, I wanted to talk about Bush’s vegetarianism and how it not only changed her energy levels and health…but it showcases her wider humanity and ethical stance. I think Bush might have turned other people onto the benefits of a vegetarian diet and revealed something interesting about herself. It is just one more reason to love…

THE incredible Kate Bush.

FEATURE: The Lockdown Playlist: Spies and Espionage

FEATURE:

 

 

The Lockdown Playlist

IN THIS PHOTO: John le Carré 

Spies and Espionage

___________

THIS Lockdown Playlist reflects the sad news…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Jude Edginton for The Wall Street Journal

that legendary British author, John le Carré, died last weekend from pneumonia. Among other classics, he penned The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Because of his great spy novels, this Lockdown Playlist is about spying, espionage, secret agents and deceit. I know it is a bit of a tenuous link to the great author, but I wanted to put something out that honours him and is related to his work. If you require some addition energy and motivation this weekend then I hope that this Lockdown Playlist can help out. It is a difficult time right now and, with only a few days before Christmas, there is a lot of unhappiness and tension around. Let’s hope that 2021 provides more in the way of…

 PHOTO CREDIT: @sergiunista/Unsplash

POSITIVITY and promise.

FEATURE: In Memory of... Artists We Have Lost in 2020

FEATURE:

 

 

In Memory of…

IN THIS PHOTO: Bill Wither in 1976 (he died on 30th March aged eighty-one) 

Artists We Have Lost in 2020

___________

I am going to put a playlist out…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Country legend Charley Pride

at the end of this feature of the artists we have lost in 2020. With COVID-19, we have seen more needless deaths of beloved musicians than normal - it has been a very tough year regarding losses. Charley Pride, the Country legend, is the most recent loss we suffered (on 12th December). He is a legend who The Guardian paid tribute to:

“Pride was a gifted athlete who tried to escape poverty with baseball, but it was his voice that catapulted him to fame and the top of the charts with hits including Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’, Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone and Mountain of Love.

He won the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year award in 1971, its top male vocalist prize in 1971 and 1972, and was awarded the lifetime achievement prize in 2020.

His final performance came weeks before his death, when he sang Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ during the CMA awards show at Nashville’s Music City Center on 11 November. It was a duet with Jimmie Allen, a rising black star in country music, and was watched by a TV audience of millions.

Pride made 52 Top 10 country hits, including 29 No 1s, and was the first African American performer to appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage since DeFord Bailey made his debut in the 1920s. Pride became an Opry member in 1993”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Eddie Van Halen/PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Knighton 

Very young artists like King Von (who died on 6th November) and Nikki McKibbin (who died on 31st October) caused a lot of shock with their premature deaths and, on 19th October, we said goodbye to the iconic Spencer Davis. The death of Eddie Van Halen on 6th October was a huge blow for the music industry. As a member of Val Halen, he was a hugely inspiring musician whose incredible gifts were taken to heart by so many musicians. I am a big fan of his music and I have always been blown away by his insanely wonderful guitar chops! Legacy provided a few words about the sadly-departed guitar god:

“Eddie Van Halen was one of the greatest rock guitarists in history and a major influence on up-and-coming guitarists. Many decided to take up learning guitar because of him. Eddie and his drummer brother Alex formed a band in the early 1970s that would become Van Halen in 1974. The original classic line-up included David Lee Roth on vocals and Michael Anthony on bass. Van Halen would become hard rock superstars with hit songs including “Jump” and “Hot for Teacher.” The band continued to record hits when Sammy Hagar took over for Roth in 1985. Van Halen was known for his tapping technique where he played with both hands on the neck of the guitar. Outside of Van Halen, he performed the iconic guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Van Halen was married previously to actor Valerie Bertinelli, and they have one son, Wolfgang. He is survived by his current wife Janie and Wolf”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Helen Reddy

American-Australian singer Helen Reddy left us on 29th September. Her death was a big shock too. Reddy's song, I Am Woman, played a significant role in popular culture, becoming an anthem for second-wave feminism. She came to be known as a ‘feminist poster girl’ and a feminist icon. We also lost Pamela Hutchinson of The Emotions on 18th September, and another huge loss occurred when Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert died on 11th September. The Guardian published an obituary to reflect on Hibbert’s life and incredible music:

“In the years before Bob Marley shot to worldwide fame, Toots Hibbert, who has died aged 77, was one of the main global faces of reggae music – or at least of its predecessors, ska and rock steady.

As singer and songwriter with the Maytals, later to become Toots and the Maytals, Hibbert was responsible for a number of Jamaican classics that were not only hits in their own right but were given vibrant second lives by admiring artists in Britain and elsewhere.

Among those songs was Pressure Drop, a 1969 composition about the daily strains of ghetto life in Jamaica that came to worldwide attention when it appeared in the 1972 film The Harder They Come and was also given a popular run-through by the Clash. Hibbert’s other big tune of that year, Monkey Man, in which he expressed the jealous thoughts of a spurned lover, became a UK hit and was later covered by the Specials and Amy Winehouse, while 54-46 Was My Number – written after Hibbert had experienced a spell in jail during the mid 1960s – became a defining rock steady/reggae tune when it appeared in 1968. It was also later revived – by Aswad in 1984.

IN THIS PHOTO: Toots Hibbert/PHOTO CREDIT: Hugh Wright

Other Hibbert songs such as Never You Change, Bam Bam, Fever, Sweet and Dandy and Funky Kingston also stand high in the Jamaican canon, and he had the further distinction of having been the first artist to have used the word reggae in a song title, albeit spelt in now-unfamiliar fashion, with his 1968 composition Do the Reggay.

Hibbert was born into a large household in the town of May Pen in Jamaica and was given the nickname Little Toots by an older brother. Both of his parents had died by the time he was 16 and after he had married his childhood sweetheart, Doreen, at the age of 18, he moved in the early 1960s to the Trenchtown area of Kingston, landing a job in a barber shop and, in 1962, putting together a vocal harmony trio with two new Kingston friends, Jerry Matthias and Raleigh Gordon”.

Another giant lost was Ronald ‘Khalis’ Bell of Kool & The Gang. He passed on 9th September; he was part of a legendary band who recorded nine number-one R&B singles in the 1970s and 1980s. It was such a shame learning of his sudden death. The wonderful Betty Wright died on 10th May, and another two big names who we lost in 2020 were Peter Green and Little Richard. As a massive fan of Fleetwood Mac, I was moved and upset when he died on 29th October. As the founder of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Peter Green/PHOTO CREDIT: George Wilkes Archive/Getty Images

Green's songs, such as Albatross, Black Magic Woman, Oh Well, The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown), and Man of the World were signature tunes. He really was one of the greatest musicians ever, and his loss will be felt for years to come. Little Richard died on 9th May. This was another huge shock. Rolling Stone wrote a touching obituary to a musical pioneer. I have selected a few sections:

“Little Richard’s stage persona – his pompadours, androgynous makeup, and glass-bead shirts — also set the standard for rock & roll showmanship; Prince, to cite one obvious example, owed a sizable debt to the musician. “Prince is the Little Richard of his generation,” Richard told Joan Rivers in 1989, before looking at the camera and addressing Prince. “I was wearing purple before you was wearing it!”

“If you love anything about the flamboyance of rock & roll, you have Little Richard to thank,” says the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, a longtime fan. “And where would rock & roll be without flamboyance? He was the first. To be able to be that uninhibited back then, you had to have a lot of not-give-a-fuck.”

Born Richard Wayne Penniman on December 5th, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, he was one of 12 children and grew up around uncles who were preachers. “I was born in the slums. My daddy sold whiskey, bootleg whiskey,” he told Rolling Stone in 1970. Although he sang in a nearby church, his father Bud wasn’t supportive of his son’s music and accused him of being gay, resulting in Penniman leaving home at 13 and moving in with a white family in Macon. But music stayed with him: One of his boyhood friends was Otis Redding, and Penniman heard R&B, blues, and country while working at a concession stand at the Macon City Auditorium”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Florian Schneider

On 6th May, we said goodbye to Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider. So many artists have been inspired by Schneider, so his death sent shockwaves right through the music industry. Again, I have selected a few words from The Guardian - who were keen to show their respects to a musical great:

“Schneider played the flute, violin and guitar, though often filtered through electronic processing. His interest in electronic music grew. “I found that the flute was too limiting,” he later said. “Soon I bought a microphone, then loudspeakers, then an echo, then a synthesiser. Much later I threw the flute away; it was a sort of process.”

Known for his enigmatic, somewhat faraway smile, Schneider worked on all of the group’s studio albums, including The Man-Machine, which yielded their biggest hit: The Model, a melancholy synthpop song which topped the UK charts in 1982.

Following their final studio album to date, Tour De France Soundtracks in 2003, and a return to touring, Schneider left the group in 2008.

No reason was given for his departure, and he has maintained a mostly low profile since. Hütter told the Guardian in 2009 that Schneider “worked for many, many years on other projects: speech synthesis, and things like that. He was not really involved in Kraftwerk for many, many years,” and in 2017 said that the pair had “not really” spoken since Schneider left”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: John Prine/PHOTO CREDIT: Charlie Gillett Collection/Getty Images

Other artists lost in 2020 include Cady Groves, Chynna Rogers, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, and the remarkable John Prine. Prine died on 7th April due to complications from COVID-19, and that was another massive sadness. Rolling Stone said the following when they paid tribute:

“As a songwriter, Prine was admired by Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, and others, known for his ability to mine seemingly ordinary experiences  — he wrote many of his classics as a mailman in Maywood, Illinois — for revelatory songs that covered the full spectrum of the human experience. There’s “Hello in There,” about the devastating loneliness of an elderly couple; “Sam Stone,” a portrait of a drug-addicted Vietnam soldier suffering from PTSD; and “Paradise,” an ode to his parents’ strip-mined hometown of Paradise, Kentucky, which became an environmental anthem. Prine tackled these subjects with empathy and humor, with an eye for “the in-between spaces,” the moments people don’t talk about, he told Rolling Stone in 2017.  “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism,” Dylan said in 2009. “Midwestern mind-trips to the nth degree”.

The astonishing Kenny Rogers died on 20th March, as did Genesis P-Orridge on 14th March. We tragically lost Barbara Martin of The Supremes on 4th March, and we also had to process the death of Andy Gill on 1st February – he was the lead guitarist for the British Rock band, Gang of Four, which he co-founded in 1976.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Dave Greenfield

The Stranglers’ Dave Greenfield left us on 3rd May at the age of seventy-one. He was an artist who had a big impact on many other musicians. There are three more artists I want to mention before ending this. Bill Withers died on 30th March…that was another one of those deaths that nobody saw coming that really rocked us. The BBC wrote the following in their feature:

“Bill Withers, the acclaimed 1970s soul singer behind hits Ain't No Sunshine and Lean On Me has died from heart complications aged 81, his family said.

The singer died on Monday in Los Angeles, the family told the Associated Press.

They described him in a statement as a "solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world".

"He spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other," the statement said.

Known for his smooth baritone vocals and sumptuous soul arrangements, he wrote some of the 70s best-remembered songs, including Just The Two Of Us, Lovely Day and Use Me.

On Lovely Day, he set the record for the longest sustained note on a US chart hit, holding a high E for 18 seconds.

Although he stopped recording in 1985, his songs remained a major influence on R&B and hip-hop.

His track Grandma's Hands was sampled on Blackstreet's No Diggity, and Eminem reinterpreted Just The Two Of Us on his hit 1997 Bonnie And Clyde”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Neil Peart/PHOTO CREDIT: Igor Vidyashev/Rex/Shutterstock

Rush’s titanic drummer, Neil Peart, passed away on 7th January. NME wrote a wonderful obituary of one of the greatest musicians ever. I have taken a bit from it:

“I’m not physically or musically capable, but thanks for the offer,” said Dave Grohl when it was suggested he replace Neil Peart in Rush after the legendary drummer – who died after a three-year battle with brain cancer on January 7 – retired from the group in 2015. “That’s a whole other animal,” Grohl continued, “another species of drummer.”

There can be no greater testament and tribute to Peart’s mastery of his art than one of the best drummers in the world considering himself so far his inferior. Peart was nick-named The Professor thanks to his meticulous, intricate, firebrand drum work in all manner of exotic time signatures, which was key in making Rush one of the most renowned bands of classic rock and inspired countless drummers to take to the sticks in awe of his skills. That he was also the band’s primary lyricist, developing his themes of fantasy, science fiction and mythology to take in philosophy and humanitarian issues over the decades, added to his standing as one of the most talented backbones in rock”.

I always associate the biggest deaths with those that have occurred during the pandemic, but Peart died beforehand – before lockdown -, as did Andrew Weatherall. He died on 17th February…and I want to end with him. Aged only fifty-six when he died due to a pulmonary embolism, so many people were stunned and numb hearing the news.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Andrew Weatherall/PHOTO CREDIT: John Barrett

Weatherall remixer of tracks by the likes of Happy Mondays, New Order, Björk, The Orb, The Future Sound of London, and My Bloody Valentine. His epic production work on Primal Scream's album, Screamadelica, helped the record win the first-ever Mercury Music Prize in 1992. In a feature from The Guardian, David Holmes shared memories of his friend:

“Andrew was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever known: naturally very bright but also very curious. He was always reading because he spent so much time on planes. He would devour information so quickly and remember it all. He was also a great wordsmith. I tried to encourage him to write a novel. The last book he turned me on to was Kevin Barry’s Night Boat to Tangier. Three days later, a friend of mine, a film producer, said: “We just bought the rights.” I said: “Look, it would be a dream if the two of us worked on the music together.” I’m still going to try and compile the soundtrack from his record collection. Even though Andrew’s not with us, I really want to capture his spirit in this film.

This sums up his friendship: I sent him a text last New Year’s Eve and he got back to me with two quotes. One from Anthony Wilson: “Rarely there when you want me, always there when you need me.” And one from Jim Dickinson: “Take reassurance in the glory of the moment and the forever promise of tomorrow.” Then he said: “Proud to count you as a friend. Happy new year to you and yours”.

It has been a tragic year in terms of losses, where so many hugely respected and important artists have left us. I am writing this on 14th December, so I hope that 2020 is not preparing to take any other musicians! I will end by combining songs from many of the artists I have mentioned, but I wanted to write and reflect on a year that has not only been tough on individuals, but the music industry has had to say goodbye to so many great people. It has been so sad losing them but, for all they have given to the world of music, we thank them…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Betty Wright

WITH passion and love.

FEATURE: I'm Still Waiting: Kate Bush and America

FEATURE:

 

 

I'm Still Waiting

Kate Bush and America

___________

IN other Kate Bush features…

I have discussed her experience with Japan during 1978. She did a promotional jaunt there and performed live in front of thousands of people; she did interviews, in addition to filming a watch advert for Seiko! Various singles have been released especially for particular countries, including Ireland, Japan and Brazil. I have sort of talked about Bush and the reception she got in America. I am going to bring in (a somewhat mean) article as to why America has not fully embraced Bush - but I think this was especially true in the earliest years. I think that, now, there is love for her in America - but there might be some who are new to her music or are not aware of her first couple of albums. By the time The Dreaming arrived in 1982, there was more love and awareness arriving from America. Although that album was not a chart success, many critics noted its incredible variety and originality. American critic Robert Christgau commented how The Dreaming was dense and demanding – so very different to what others were producing in 1982, perhaps. Hounds of Love did much better in America. Perhaps it is the accessibility of that album that meant it was more acclaimed (it reached number-thirty on the U.S. Billboard chart). Subsequent albums have done well in the U.S.; 2011’s 50 Words for Snow reached number-seven on the US Independent Albums chart.

I think a new wave of artists has helped bring Bush’s work to others because they are inspired by her. I am not sure what U.S. radio is like compared to the U.K. when it comes to playing Bush’s songs and which ones are selected, but I assume that some of her better-known singles are favoured to the deep cuts. I guess the fact she does fewer promotional interviews for U.S. media signals she is less popular there, but I think it is just the case she does not fly there and, when she does speak to American press, it is via phone or the Internet. I would be interested to hear from American folk how Bush is perceived in the country and whether she has a huge fanbase there. There is a definite awareness of her music, and I know that many people who saw her perform during her Before the Dawn residency in 2014 hailed from America. If things are better now regarding Bush and her music being taken to heart there then it was slow to begin with. The Kick Inside didn’t get a whole lot of popularity in America. Wuthering Heights, her debut single, did nothing in the U.S., whereas The Man with the Child in His Eyes got to number-eighty-five on the Billboard chart. I can only imagine what the Americans must have thought of Bush when her music reached ears there! A different video of Wuthering Heights was released for American audiences – where she wore a red dress – as the original (her in a white dress) was considered too out-there and intense!

American critics and listeners have become more daring, open-minded and diverse with their listening since 1978 - I am surprised they did not take to Kate Bush right away. Bush did promote Hounds of Love in the U.S. in 1985 and she conducted a signing at Tower Records in Los Angeles. She has done promotion there through the years but, as she developed a dislike of flying and travel early on, cracking America was not on her radar. That is another to consider. For most artists, breaking America is their goal and ultimate dream. This is because there is a massive market and a lot of money there. Commerciality and mainstream success was not a big draw for Bush. She did develop a big fanbase in other parts of the world early on – including Australia -, but America took a while to catch up. It is clear that Bush has a lot of love for her American fans and wants her music to be played there. The relatively lack of promotional junkets and no big live gigs there has not helped, but I feel there has been some snobbishness and dismissal from some U.S. sources. This NPR article from 2011 (just before Bush released Fifty Words for Snow) outlined some reasons why Americans ‘don’t care’ for Bush:

“Kate Bush turned 53 recently. If you're like most Americans, that means nothing to you.

At least, that's the claim set forth by Lee Zimmerman of the Broward/Palm Beach New Times. In a blog post published on Bush's birthday, he laments the lack of traction that the British singer/songwriter has experienced in the United States.

She's too British. It's true that Bush, whose hometown has the veddy English name of Bexleyheath, never toned down her Britishness to universalize her appeal. Her music was cognizant (in ways obvious and not so much) of English music hall, sharp Romantic and Victorian streaks ran through her lyrics and she occasionally delivered her songs in a panoply of accents and vernacular. (See, for instance, the Cockney gangster narrating "There Goes A Tenner.") But if explicit Britishness alone were enough to sink a musical career in the United States, the following list would be nothing but gibberish to all but the most concerted Anglophile music fans: the Smiths, the Cure, Blur, Oasis, Pulp, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Kinks. Some carved out successful, sustained American careers. Some just had a hit or two. But all of them were super-British in one way or another, and all of them achieved a level of cultural visibility greater than Kate Bush.

The clear and powerful impact Bush has had on musicians, actors, artists and so many people across America has done a lot to redress some imbalance and ensure that her music is being preserved - but it is a huge market that she never really jumped into and considered to be vital. Maybe her music is a little esoteric, but I feel that is an American perception rather than universal truth. We in the U.K. have always ‘got’ her, so maybe it is a case of the American music market being very different to ours and other nations (from 1978 until fairly recently). It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has any perceptions and truth regarding Kate Bush and the U.S. but, to this date, she is still much more popular in the U.K. – even if her fanbase in America has risen in the last few years/decades. It is clear Bush will never promote her music physically in the U.S. or do any dates there, but she will still do telephone interviews. I think radio stations and word-of-mouth is the way her music will reach new generations and spread wider. I think it is a case of America’s loss if some have not been able to get behind her; perhaps the absence of touring there has been a factor. I, like her, don’t’ think American domination has been the be-all-and-end-all, as it is evident that Kate Bush has…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Jill Furmanovsky

CONQUERED most of the rest of the world!